Life, Love, Lost
by Krimskii
Summary: Morgan Shaw always thought her life was bit unfair but she never really imagined that HE was the Fullmetal Alchemist. She thought maybe he owed her one first class explanation. EdXOC, EnvyXOC. Rewrite Pending.
1. Chapter 01

Authors' Notes: 

Authors: Hello! Just though we should let you know that this starts bafore the anime and manga do. It will eventually jumpint the anime and manga aroun chapter 11 though. Now, Ed, Do the disclaimer!

Ed: Fine, Chibi-chan and Jin's Lady do not own anything of FullMetal Alchemist. They do, however, own Morgan and Kaytie. (You'd think they own me, the way they boss me around though...)

Jin's Lady: What was that pipsqueak?

Ed: WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT A SPECK OF DUST LOOKS LIKE A BUILDING TO THEM?!

Chibi-chan: Holding Ed Back Calm down! She didn't mean it like that!!

* * *

Chapter 1: No Coffee, No Home, No Kaytie...Wait, What?!

_It was raining. Lately when anything bad was happening, it was raining. Morgan's straight, dull, brown hair clung to the back of her neck and her bangs were stuck to her forehead., casting a shadow over her eyes. She didn't bother pushing them away because she was avoiding her best friend's eyes. _

"Morgan," He said. Upon instinct she looked up, not quite meeting his face. "Do you have to leave?" Briefly she glanced at him. Ed had short blond hair and honey golden eyes. He was also quite short for his age, but if anyone mentioned that he'd get upset. His eight-year-old form looked crestfallen when she nodded.

Morgan looked away as tears started to form in her eyes. She told herself along time ago she'd never cry in front of anyone. Especially Ed, she'd never hear the end of it. Ed pulled her up from her sitting position on her porch steps. She refused to look at him. He gently took her chin and turned her head to face him. Morgan quickly blinked away the tears as he dropped his hand to his side.

"I'll miss you." He said, still more quietly.

Suddenly and out of nowhere, Morgan latched her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. "I'll miss you too, Ed." She shut her eyes tight in an attempt to stop the tears; she'd always hated the stinging feeling that accompanied the tears.

She pulled away, to find Ed standing there, a light blush gracing his face.

Morgan blushed scarlet as Ed's face slowly inched closer to hers. He laced his fingers with Morgan's and brushed his lips softly against her cheek.

_

* * *

_

Kaytie poked her roommate, Morgan, in the face. "Narf!" Morgan lifted her arm to shoo Kaytie's away. "Leave me alone!"

"Morgan, you have to get up...and possibly find a new place to live..."

Morgan sat up, her shoulder-length, dull brown hair sticking up at odd angles. It was oily 'cause she hadn't had her shower yet. She glared at Kaytie who was now standing at the door of her room.

"What do you mean 'find a new place to live?'" she asked.

Kaytie sighed and flicked the light on. "Ahh! It burns!" Morgan said in a high pitched whispery voice. "Shut it off!"

"Are you awake?"

"Yes!" Morgan answered, shielding her eyes. "Turn it off, and quit stalling!"

Kaytie shut off the light and squatted down next to Morgan. "You may want to come out into the living room for this, Roy's here..." She said the last part quietly, hoping to all that was holy, Morgan didn't hear her. Unfortunately for Kaytie, Morgan had excellent hearing.

"Who's here? Roy?! Wait, what time is it?" She turned to check her alarm. "At two fifty-five in the morning?!"

Kaytie sweat dropped, "Maybe..."

Morgan got up and stormed out of the room. She found Roy Mustang leaning casually against the kitchen wall. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Morgan, Morgan, Morgan, is that any way to talk to your superior officer?" She gave him a cold glare. "Oh, Alright. I got kicked out of my apartment."

Morgan face-planted into the ground while Kaytie burst out laughing.

"Ha, Ha" Ha said, mocking Kaytie. "Very funny."

"I thought so," she replied, leaning up against Morgan's door in an attempt to keep herself from falling. "You slept with the landlady didn't you?"

"No,"

"The landlady's daughter?" No response. "Ha!" She said pointing. "You did!"

Morgan sweat dropped, "I'm going back to bed."

"No, Roy needs to stay in your room." Kaytie said, stopping her.

"Fine, just let me get my stuff then, I need to be at work in two hours and i want another hour of sleep. You need to be there in an Hour."

"I'm aware of that, thank-you."

Morgan gathered up her covers and pillow and dumped them down on the living room couch, then plopped herself down. "I expect my bed and room back tomorrow."

Kaytie sat with Roy in the Kitchen. "I can't believe you slept with your landlady's daughter."

He narrowed his eyes, "Shut up,"

"Well I need to be at work in-" She checked her watch, "forty-five minutes, so I'm going back to bed."

"Shouldn't you be getting ready?"

Kaytie snorted, "Roy, since when am I ever on time?"

"Good point."

When Morgan woke up an hour later, she screamed then quickly covered her eyes.

Roy was in her kitchen, in his boxers, drinking _her_ coffee. "Get some clothes on!"

"I didn't bring any."

Morgan turned back around, "You plan to stay here, yet you don't bring any clothes?!"

Kaytie came out of her room, took one look at Roy, turned back around and slammed the door.

Morgan blinked then went to change, shaking her head as she went.

Once in the bathroom, she slipped off her loose purple pyjama top and her baggy blue sweat pants.

After taking her shower, she wrapped the towel securely around her and walked into her bedroom which was a joined to the bathroom.

Slowly, she pulled on her clothes. Her 'uniform' consisted of navy blue cargo pants and a light blue shirt, like a tank top but with translucent tight blue sleeves that flared out at the wrists.

She studied herself in the mirror. Her hair was dull brown, her eyes were chocolate brown, she had practically no chest and she was short. "God, I'm ugly."

"Calling yourself names again, are we, Morgan?" Kaytie said, coming through the door that lead to the hallway.

"Shut up, I could have been changing you know."

"And I care...Why?"

Morgan stuck her tongue out at Kaytie. She threw her towel in the hamper and brushed the knots out of her hair. "Is Roy dressed yet?"

Kaytie sighed, "No," She rolled her eyes. "I called Riza to bring them over from his office."

There was a knock on the door "That must be her."

Kaytie opened the door to see Riza Hawkeye standing there with an indifferent look on her face. She was already dressed for work. Kaytie assumed she and Roy were late. Riza silently handed over Roy's uniform.

"You wanna come in?" Kaytie asked.

"No," She answered , sighing. "I have to get back to work. By the way you and Roy are late. King Bradley's inspecting tomorrow so all State Alchemists have to be there. Well, he's arriving tomorrow, inspecting the day after and again the next day for anyone who missed the first day or was on a mission."

By the time Riza left Roy was finally dressed and Morgan went to reach for a cup of coffee to find the pot empty. "How many cups did you drink?!"

"Six...and a half."

"Ohhh..." Kaytie said. "Bad move. Morgan's a bitch without her coffee."

Morgan's eye twitched as she slowly for her sky blue sweater vest and pulled it over her shirt. As she zipped it up it was taking all her will power not to strangle someone

* * *

They were standing outside Roy's office. "So where am I suppose to stay?!" Morgan demanded. She just found out she wouldn't be getting her bed back. Roy kicked her out of her own apartment! He pretty much blackmailed Kaytie into it. He threatened to fire her. 

Roy tapped his fingers on Kaytie's desk impatiently. "You'll be living back in Risembool... with Kaytie's parents." He said. "Leaving in three days."

**"What?!"**

"Well, King Bradley's arriving tomorrow, inspecting the day after and again the next. Your leaving that day since there's no need for you to be at both inspections." He said, ticking them off on his fingers.

"But why _Kaytie's_ parents?! Her Mom's horrible!"

Kaytie shrugged, "I feel for you." she said, simply.

"Well," Said Roy, looking between Morgan and Kaytie. "You both grew up there so we thought it made sense-" He shrank under Morgan's glare and gave up his attempt at explaining. "We didn't know where else to put you..."

"You've got to be kidding me...I need coffee." Kaytie rushed to get her coffee. The one thing Kaytie didn't need while her parents were here was Morgan as a bitch. "Actually," she changed her mind. "I want tea."

Kaytie poured the last cup of tea.  
_'But...I want tea,'_ she thought. _'Oh well, I'll just give her coffee and say it's tea.'_

She handed Morgan the coffee. "Here's your tea."

"Thanks," She said taking a sip. _'Ahhh, caffeine is good.'_

The door opened and in walked the strangest pair Morgan had ever seen. She had only been a State Alchemist for six months so she didn't know many people. Kaytie and Roy sighed, so Morgan assumed they knew whoever was standing at the door.

Speaking of the strange pair at the door, the first wasn't exactly hard to miss. It was a giant suit of armour. Morgan blinked, could you say odd? The other was around the same height as her, had honey golden eyes and had the back of hid blond hair tied into a messy braid. This person looked vaguely familiar. She tilted her head to the side slightly, trying to figure out why he looked do familiar.

"Morgan?" He asked, looking directly at her questioningly.

Something clicked in Morgan's brain as she saw Kaytie slap her palm to her forehead. "Ed?"

"Morgan!"

"Edward! They rushed over and hugged. "Oh, my gosh!" Morgan said excitedly. "It's been seven years!"

"I know...wait, didn't I used to be taller that you?"

"Yeah, so?"

"You've grown." He said looking her up and down.

Morgan looked at him closely and mentally measured herself. "You haven't." she said, rather bluntly.

"What?! **Who're you calling so small an ant couldn't see him with a magnifying glass?!?**"

Morgan backed up slightly and sweat dropped, "Sensitive much?" There was that attitude problem she'd known so well as a child.

"Wait," Ed said, looking at her again. "You're the same height as me, who're you calling short?"

"Yeah, but I'm proud and apparently you're just in denial."

"Shut up. What're you doing here of all places anyway?" He asked.

Before Morgan could answer, however, Kaytie's Mother burst through the door. Kaytie hid behind Roy.

"You told her where to find me?!" Kaytie seethed.

"Oh, yes. She and I had a very interesting chat about you as a child."

"You **what**?!"

"Yes, the pictures she has of you are adorable." Kaytie tried hard to fight the blush she knew was appearing on her cheeks.

"Kaytie, darling, how are you?"

Roy side stepped out of the way as Kaytie's Mom crushed her in a hug. "Fine, Mother." She winced. The only reason she put up with the hug was because she knew what her Mom was capable of, "Hi, Dad." Her Dad was the nice one, her Mom was the bitch.

There was an abrupt change in Mrs. Krimskii once she caught sight of Kaytie's uniform. The look on her face was rather distasteful. "Still a dog of the military, I see." She said, holding Kaytie at arms length.

"Yes Mother," She said in a tense voice. "And if you must know a State Alchemist too." Kaytie searched her pocket for something and slipped out her official pocket watch.

Her Mother pursed her lips and turned away from Kaytie, tuning her out. Kaytie started chatting with her Dad about random things.

Mrs. Krimskii turned to Morgan. "Morgan! My you have grown; you were just this high when you moved away." She said indicating Morgan's shoulder height. "And Edward, what brings you here?"

_'What did bring him here?'_ Morgan wondered. Ed had a smug look on his face. "I'm a State Alchemist, too." He said.

Morgan smiled, of course. "Hey I didn't know you were one! I'm a Sta-" She caught sight of Kaytie. She was shaking her head violently and mouthing words that looked something like _'No! Don't tell her that!!'_

"I'm Kaytie's secretary!" She changed her sentence. She was originally going to say something along the lines of 'I'm a State Alchemist too! As of six months ago.', but she changed her mind. Morgan had heard stories of Kaytie's Mom...she shuddered.

Mrs. Krimskii gave her a weird look and Ed raised an eyebrow. "I'll tell you later." she whispered to him.

Meanwhile Kaytie, Roy and Mr. Krimskii were engaged in conversation.

"Your Mom's completely tuned you out, hasn't she?" Roy asked.

"Yup, but as soon as I say something like 'Fuck you'-"

"What'd you say?" Mrs. Krimskii snapped, turning on her heel.

"Um..." Kaytie sweat dropped, "Vacuum?"

"That's what I thought..." She went back to tuning Kaytie out.

"See what I mean?" She asked, leaning on her father's shoulder.

At first glance Kaytie Krimskii would probably seem like every typical fifteen-year-old. The kind who stays up late, sleeps late and eats their parents out of house and home, but she's not the everyday typical teenager'. Kaytie ran away from home at the age of twelve to become a State Alchemist. She was the second youngest ever to join. She always hold a grudge against Ed for becoming one before her. Six months before her. It's the only thing he'll ever be able to hold over her head. (Literally and figuratively speaking).

When Kaytie first moved to Central, Roy took her in. He was sort of like the brother she never had (even though she had two; Miguel and Joey). Eventually she got her own apartment. Then she was transferred with him when he was transferred to Eastern.

She was surprised when she found Morgan Shaw at her door one night. They'd always hated each other when they were little until Morgan moved away when she was seven.

Morgan claimed Roy sent her and that she'd just become a State Alchemist. Not that Morgan was any happier with the arrangement that Kaytie. That was six months ago, they were the best of friends now.

Morgan sighed. She'd have to put up with this? For how long? "Wait" she said. "If I don't leave for three days where am I suppose to stay?!"

Roy and Kaytie looked guilty. "Um..." Roy said. "I haven't thought that far ahead yet."

Morgan and Kaytie sweat dropped. _'You couldn't think of a better excuse than that?'_ Kaytie thought.

"Well, now, dear, you can stay with me and my husband here." Mrs. Krimskii offered. Morgan thought the idea was about as appealing as having to walk on broken glass. It showed on her face apparently, 'cause Ed came to her rescue.

"Morgan's staying with us, remember Krimskii? You told us yesterday?"

Kaytie quickly caught on. "Oh, yeah, um sorry Mom, you know my memory..." Morgan sighed in relief.

"Just as well," Mrs. Krimskii said, pretending as if she hadn't heard her daughter. Kaytie rolled her eyes. "I must insist on taking you out for dinner, you too Edward..." Ed and Morgan exchanged worried glances. "Morgan you're much to thin, Kaytie probably hasn't been feeding you properly and Edward you just too short-"

Ed twitched and Morgan covered her ears. "**Who're you calling the super small speck?!?**"

Mrs. Krimskii went on as if she hadn't heard him. "-and need nutrients to grow."

Morgan heard Ed mutter something incoherent about not being short, she rolled her eyes. At that moment Mrs. Krimskii turned and was chatting with Mr. Krimskii.

Kaytie leaned casually against the wall, wondering. The question was, how long would it take for Morgan to ask where A-

"Wait, where's Al? You two are like never apart." Kaytie made shushing noised and pointed toward her Mother's back. She leaned over and whispered in Morgan's ear.

"Yeah, ya see that giant suit of armour over there?" she pointed in the direction of the suit of armour. "That's Al."

"**What? Why is Al dressed up in a suit of armour?!**"

Kaytie slapped her hand to her forehead again. She slapped Morgan upside the head. _"Shut. Up."_ She said this very slowly, breaking it up as if to say "Morgan, if I said this any faster your brain wouldn't be able to comprehend what I'm saying.'

Ed sweat dropped and put his hand to his forehead. How was he supposed to tell her? Instead of answering, well he didn't have to answer. Morgan and Kaytie were busy whispering about whether or not Mrs. Krimskii was going to react or whether she'd even heard them.

Mrs. Krimskii turned on her heel and Morgan, Kaytie and Ed froze. Al was still standing at the door looking worried. Could a suit of Armour look worried?

"Kaytie dear," Mrs. Krimskii said, "Your Father and I have some shopping to do. Morgan, Edward, I want you to meet me in front of my hotel at five O'clock sharp. Don't. Be. Late." Morgan and Ed gulped. Mrs. Krimskii wore a look that plainly said 'Be there, or else!'

They were relieved, however that she didn't hear the 'armour' comment and they were relieved when she left, dragging Mr. Krimskii with her.

As soon as she was gone, Morgan quickly checked the door to make sure then ran over and hugged Al's arm. "I missed you!"

Al awkwardly hugged her back, but his voice was happy. "Me too! I can't believe it's been seven years! Now I have someone my own age to talk to...at least for a little while."

When Morgan was young, her best friends in the world were Ed and Al Elric. Her family moved to Eastern when she and Al were seven and Ed was eight. She remembered part of the day she left, it was morning and Al had run out to meet her on the hill. Ed was still asleep.

_The hill was grassy and the sun was shining, it was supposed to rain later though. Morgan could see the clouds in the distance. "So, I'm leaving today." Morgan said, picking the grass beside her. _

"You are? I thought that was next week!" he said turning to her and searching her brown eyes, waiting for some one to yell 'April Fools!' even though it was May.

Morgan shook her head. "Mom and Dad decided to go a week early." She went back to picking the grass as silence fell over them. It wasn't awkward but it wasn't exactly comforting either.

Morgan gasped suddenly. "Guess what?!" she said excitedly.

Al turned to her. "What?" He asked looking curious.

"When we settle down in Eastern, Mommy said we can get a Kitty!"

Al's eyes went wide, "Really?"

Morgan bobbed her head up and down, nodding and grinning broadly.

"Awwww, but I won't get to see it!"

"But I'm gonna write to you guys, and I can send you a picture..."

"But that's not the same."

Morgan thought for a second, "Maybe Mom'll let you and Ed come and stay for a weekend sometime."

"Really?"

Morgan nodded vigorously, "Of course!" She said as if she already knew her Mom would say yes for sure. She turned back to the front to see Ed running toward them, laughing.

"Al!" He called. He stopped just short of running into them. "Mom says Lunch is ready." He turned toward Morgan, "She says you're invited too, if you want."

"You never wrote." Al said.

"There's a perfectly good explanation for that."

"Oh, really, and what would that be?" he asked.

"I forgot your address?"

"How could you forget our address?! You must have spent half your childhood at our house!" Ed yelled out from behind her.

Morgan dragged Al toward the group that consisted of Roy, Kaytie, Ed and now Morgan and Al. She sighed, "I just did, okay?"

"Fine!" He said harshly, crossing his arms over his chest. Morgan rolled her eyes.

* * *

"I dun wanna go live with Kaytie's Mom!" Morgan whined to Roy, at lunch break. The first half of her day consisted of helping him with his procrastinated paperwork. 

"We don't have anywhere else to put you."

"But Kaytie's Moms mean!" She argued.

"She really is," Kaytie said backing Morgan up. "You know where Joey went?"

Roy, Morgan, Ed, and Al shook their heads. "Neither do I. We, my brother Miguel and I, have a theory that he might have run away, but every time we used to mention it to Mom, that always got ruled out."

"Why?" Morgan asked. "Wait do I want to know?"

"She'd go all quiet and when we'd leave the room we could hear her laughing." Kaytie shook her head sadly. "We used to think she was insane. Now we _know_ she's insane."

"I dun wanna go and you cant make me!" Morgan said latching herself onto Al's arm. The coffee was kicking in. Suddenly Morgan was struck with a thought, "What am I gonna do with Blacky and Whitey? I thought your Mom hated cats?"

"She does she killed all my cats." Morgan's jaw dropped and Al gasped in horror.

Ed smacked his hand to his head "You just had to tell him"

Ignoring Ed, Kaytie went on. "The first was when I was six. I remember I tried to and succeeded in changing Midnight's fur colour with alchemy" She shook her head, "I said to Mom, 'Mommy! Look I changed Midnight's fur blue!', then she hit him over the head with a frying pan." Morgan's and Al's faces wore astonished looks while clinging to each other's arms.

"The next one was Dot. She was a good cat until my Mom threw her in front of a moving train."

Morgan had heard enough, "Don't tell me that! I have to live with her!"

Kaytie shrugged. "Fine, have it your way. I was just trying to warn you, so you'd be prepared. Take care of Missy for me. I think she's trying to starve her."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!!" Morgan was shaking her head and covering her ears. "I don't want to know!"

"Anyway," Roy said dismissing the subject, "Morgan, you have the rest of the day off to pack...then I get your room."

"You know what _Colonel Mustang_? You suck!" She crossed her arms over her chest, hating him more with every passing second. He just gave one of his famous 'Roy Mustang smirks'

Morgan sighed, grabbed her sweater vest off the back of her chair and dumped her tray in the garbage. "Better go pack then. Ed, Al, one of you, at least one is coming with me."

"Ah, come on!" Ed complained. "Do we have to?"

"Would you rather stay here with him?" She asked with a knowing look and jerking her thumb toward Roy.

"Good point." He stood up and he and Al followed her out the door.

"They're cute together." Kaytie said when they left.

Roy looked at her, "I thought you hated FullMetal?"

"Oh, I do, I assure you I do, but," She said choosing her words carefully "I guarantee you, give it a month maybe two, and she'll be head over high heels."


	2. Chapter 02

Authors' Notes:

Chibi-chan: ...I don't really have anything to say here so, um, Roy, do the disclaimer!

Roy: I'll do the disclaimer if you buy me a mini skirt to add to my collection.

Jin's Lady: Like hell we will!

Roy: Then I on't do the disclaimer and you'll have everyone passing a law suit on you...

Chibi-chan: Whatever, we'll buy you the skirt, just do the disclaimer or our readers will think we're stalling.

Roy: Grins Smugly Jin's Lady and Chibi-chan do ont own any part of FullMetal Alchemist, because if they did I wouldn't have to blackmail them into buying me skirts would I? They do however own Kaytie and Morgan.

* * *

Chapter 2: Re-bonding and a New Assignment

_Kaytie jumped out her window and steadied herself when she hit the ground, or tried to anyway. She tripped over her bag when she stood up. _

'Oh come on,' _She thought, as she stood up and brushed the dirt off her pants._ 'You've got to be kidding me. If Joey can do it without getting caught, how hard can it be?'

_Kaytie shouldered her pack and started toward the train station. She was planning to head to Central. She was going to become a State Alchemist if it killed her. The way she figured it, if that little pipsqueak Edward and his brother Al could run off, so could she. _

At twelve Kaytie probably wasn't the easiest child to raise, but she couldn't take living at home, with her Mom, any more. She threw her bag on a near by bench, and sat down beside it. She was tired and it was almost midnight. Her crimson hair fell over her eyes as she started to dose off.

The screech of the train stopping woke her not two minutes later. Her startling green eyes snapped open and she stood with a start, fumbling with the bags shoulder strap.

The compartment she chose was not too surprisingly empty. It's not like Risembool was the most popular town ever. Pondering where she would go once she actually got to Central City, her eyes fluttered shut and her breathing became steady as she fell into a light sleep.

* * *

_Kathryn Krimskii._ She signed her name on her latest piece of paperwork. She gave her desk a small smile, thankful she was finished. 

She closed her eyes and rested her mouth on her folded hands when all of a sudden a loud thump startled her and there was Roy Mustang standing in front of her desk, his elbow propped up on a huge stack of paper, which she assumed was his procrastinated paperwork.

She raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"I need you to fill these out."

Kaytie snorted, "I don't think so, fill out your own papers."

"They're yours."

"Don't try that with me." She said standing and following him into his office. "I, unlike you, don't procrastinate everything."

"I don't procrastinate everything!" He answered, making a very sad attempt to defend himself.

Kaytie gave him a 'since when?' look. "Colonel, you see this piece of paper here?" She asked tugging at one on the edge of his desk. "It's been sitting here, oh, I'd say since the last time FullMetal was in your office, other than today. So, probably about seven or eight months now."

"Shut up." He replied flatly

* * *

Morgan knelt beside an empty box. What to pack, what to pack. She threw the cardboard box at Ed. "Throw my books in there, would you?" 

He made a face behind her back but the books went in the box.

"What can I do?" Al asked.

Morgan pretended to think, even though she knew exactly what he could do. She'd caught sight of her cat Whitey leaning over the back of her couch wearing a bored expression. "You could keep Whitey and Blacky entertained. They like to wreak the house when they're bored."

"Is Whitey your cat?" He asked.

Morgan nodded, smiling. "Right behind you." Whitey tilted his head slightly to the side, and then pounced on Al's head.

Ed turned to face Morgan. "You own a _black _cat named i _Whitey_?"

"Yup,"

"You're just as weird as ever," He said, taping the box up.

Morgan had finished with her clothes by this time. They were shoved, unfolded into a black garbage bag that was tied shut. "Thank-you," She said. "I'm going to take that as a compliment."

Al was playing with Whitey and had since found Blacky, (Morgan's fat, lazy, white cat.) and was now amusing him as well. This was a good thing; Last month Morgan and Kaytie had gone out only to come back some hours later to find out they needed new curtains. Blacky and Whitey had ripped theirs to shreds.

"So you're Kaytie's secretary?" Ed asked. _"Why?"_

"One: I'm not her secretary, and Two: She's not as bad as she was when she was eight. She doesn't throw rocks anymore."

"No, only insults. So if you're not her secretary, then why are you here? Morgan rolled her eyes. He was so nosy.

"For your information Mr. I-haven't-seen-you-in-seven-years-why-should-I-tell-you-anything? I'm a State Alchemist too."

"But what?!" Ed was confused. "Why'd you say you were Kaytie's secretary now?"

"Kaytie's Mom doesn't exactly like Alchemy, in case you haven't noticed." She said stacking the boxes on top each other and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "And I have to live with her. God damn you Roy!"

* * *

"I've got a new assignment for you." Roy sang, stalking over toward Kaytie's desk. She'd been studying over a book to do with alchemy. 

"You're giving me an assignment in my own house?" Roy had dragged Kaytie home after Morgan, Ed and Al had left.

"Yes."

"I'm not doing it." She said, turning back to her book. There was no way she was accepting an assignment in her own house no way at all.

"You don't have to come into the office everyday just once a week to report your progress" Now he had her attention.

"Really?" She asked, narrowing her eyes. It'd be just like Roy to pull the wool over her eyes. "What is it?"

He handed her the file. "I want you to research failed human transmutations. This isn't my division, you know, this came straight from King Bradley, so you really didn't have a choice to begin with."

She gave him a sharp look. Why would Bradley choose her? "Does that include FullMetal's.?" Roy nodded. "Okay, so do I still report to you?"

"Yes, I'm still in charge, technically. He especially wants information on the _results _of Human transmutation. Bradley wants you to start on it as soon as possible."

"Fine, I'll do it. Just leave me alone." She went back to her book.

Who did he think he was, bossing her around in her own house? Maybe she'd kick him out...

* * *

"Do you think she'll ever come down?" Morgan asked. They'd been waiting for over an hour and a half for Mrs. Krimskii to come down from her suite. "We've been waiting here forever!" 

"You know you've gotten louder than I remember you." Ed said, leaning back against a pillar. Morgan took this as his way of telling her to shut up. Her response to this was to stick her tongue out behind his back.

Al sighed. It was always like this. For as long as he could remember that they'd known each other, Ed and Morgan had always bickered. He figured it'd never change, just because you were once best friends with someone didn't mean you had to get along with them all the time.

The door opened finally. Mrs. Krimskii was dragging (quite literally) Mr. Krimskii out the door. "Ah! Darlings!" She said, dropping her husband and rushing over to Morgan and Ed and enveloping them in a bone crushing hug. Morgan scrunched up her nose and made a face.

"Mrs. Krimskii, we need to breathe!" She gave them one final squeeze and let go. They collapsed on the ground from lack of air. Al was barely stifling laughter in the background. Morgan shot him a glare.

Mrs. Krimskii latched onto Morgan's and Ed's wrists and started pulling them down the street with Al calmly walking beside Mr. Krimskii behind them.

"You know, Alphonse," Mr. Krimskii said. "Mrs. Krimskii has completely tuned you out. She doesn't like you because you were Friends with Kaytie as children. You could make a break for it." He pushed him slightly to the side. "Go! Be free!"

"Al! You traitor!" Ed yelled out as Al slipped off back to their dorm room. Mrs. Krimskii chose to ignore his comment.

* * *

"Will I have to burn my couch?" Kaytie asked upon seeing Roy lying on it in nothing but his boxers and a blanket on. 

Roy laughed nervously "."

"My threat still holds; I will kick you out in nothing but your boxers." Kaytie said, looking disgusted. "I've done it before."

"If you do that I'll fire you." He tried to counter.

Kaytie snorted. "You can't fire me. King Bradley loves me. Besides, who would you get to do that assignment?" She pointed to Roy's new room. "Now, get off my couch, please."

"Fine be that way." He said as he left the room.

"I so have to burn my couch."

* * *

Morgan and Ed were sitting in one of the fanciest restaurant in Eastern looking very annoyed and down cast. Mrs. Krimskii sat beside Morgan and Mr. Krimskii beside Ed. The waitress set a large plate overflowing with food in front of both of them. 

"There's no way I can eat all of this!" Morgan exclaimed. Ed was already shovelling food into his mouth. Morgan wrinkled her nose in disgust. If he was closer, she'd hit him upside the head.

An hour later Morgan and Ed stumbled their way out of the restaurant after being literally force-fed by Mrs. Krimskii. "Ah, I feel like throwing up Morgan said, sliding down the wall into a sitting position. She knew perfectly well however that she wouldn't throw up, she hadn't in years. She hardly ever got sick.

"Come on," Ed said, extending a hand to help her up. "I wanna get back."

"Carry me?" Morgan asked, standing.

"No."

"Ah, come on, please?"

"No!"

"Fine be that way." She said, turning her head to the side and looking at the ground. Her eyes filled with mock tears.

"Don't cry!" He said, frantically attempting to calm her down. "I don't like it when girls cry!"

She turned away so he couldn't see her smirking. "Please carry me?" She sniffed. "I'm not heavy"

"Fine," He said, kneeling down. "Get on."

She climbed onto his back, piggy-back style, and rested her chin on his shoulder. "So what have you been up to for the last seven years?" She asked, all traces of tears gone. "How's Trisha?"

Ed stopped suddenly then quickly continued walking when he saw Morgan giving him a weird look. "She died...the year you left." He said quietly.

Morgan gasped, "I am so sorry." She said, covering her mouth with her hand. She was tearing up. From the age of...well as long as she could remember up until she was seven, Trisha Elric had been like a second Mom.

"What about you? How are Tracy and Dave?"

"I guess we have something in common, they died last year." She replied, keeping her voice even, she didnt want to break down crying in the middle of the street.

"Oh, I'm sorry" He didnt know what to say. "That explains why you have to live with the Krimskiis- of all people. You'd think Mustang could have found someone...better." Morgan nodded.

"Anyway," Morgan said, changing the subject. "What am I suppose to do with Blacky and Whitey? Kaytie said she'd take them for a while until I can find a place for them but I'll feel bad if I have to leave them there too long." She sighed. "I don't suppose Al would want them, would he?"

"Sorry Morgan, he probably would but we aren't in the position to care for them." He answered.

"Oh well," She said, a small smile playing on her lips. "Ill find somewhere for them."

They were silent for a few minutes. "You know the day you left?" Ed asked suddenly. "Do you remember anything important?" He could tell his face was heating up.

"Um..." Truthfully, Morgan didnt remember a lot of that day. "I remember part of the morning...oh; fine I don't remember a whole lot." She said.

He sighed in relief but raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Morgan gave a nervous laugh. "Well you see, a few months after I moved, I fell down the stairs, hit my head and now I cant remember anything from the age of six to nine. That's why I couldn't remember your address."

"Are you serious?"

"Dead serious."

"But if it happened a few months after you moved, shouldn't it be from six to seven?"

"The doctor said that's the way it should have worked, but it sort of just continued on." She said pushing her bangs from her face.

"Oh."

"Well I can remember it's just not very specific, general things like always being at your house or leaving. It's all very general."

They'd finally come to the dorms and Ed dropped Morgan on the ground. "You think she'd have chosen a restaurant a little closer to where we are, you know?"

"Well, I'm the one who had to carry you all the way here."

"Well sor_ry_, It's not my fault I'm fat."

"You're not fat Morgan." He said, pressing the elevator button.

"Yes I am, look," She said poking the nonexistent flubber on her stomach.

"You're not fat."

Morgan rolled her eyes. "Wait, where am I staying?"

"In our room, where else?"

"In the same room?" She asked.

"Not in the same bed if that's what you mean."

"That's not what I meant, idiot!" She replied, smacking him upside the head.

* * *

Kaytie looked out the window. If she wasn't so mean maybe she'd fell sorry for Morgan and Ed. But she was mean so she wouldn't. 

The phone rang. "Hello, Major Krimskii speaking."

She slammed it down two seconds later. "Mustang! I thought I made it clear when you moved in that I don't, as in b _Do Not /b _want any of your girl friends calling here! You can live at Hawkeye's if you want that." She yelled rounding on him.

He sweat dropped. "She said I couldn't. Was that Charlotte or Diana?"

She threw the phone at him, "Call whoever it was back and tell them I don't want them calling here." She left the room without giving him a choice.

* * *

Ed unlocked the door to his dorm. As soon as it was open Morgan ran and jumped on the bed that was on the left. "I call this one!" 

"Hey that's my bed!" Ed argued.

"Morgan, you can have my bed." Al offered, coming into the conversation.

"Aww thanks Al. But you're too nice. I'll just take Ed's bed."

"No! Its mine!"

"Brother! She's the guest; just let her have the bed."

Morgan smirked triumphantly. "You can have the couch." She said.

"These are the thanks I get for carrying you all the way here." Ed grumbled.

"Come again?" She asked.

"Oh, nothing."


	3. Chapter 03

Authors' Notes:

Chibi-chan: We're Back! Thank-you to all those who reviewed-

Envy: Which was no one,

Jin's Lady: You shut up, that's not the point. 

Chibi-chan: Right... anyway, Envy, do the disclaimer please?

Envy: Oh, alright, Jin's Lady and Chibi-chan do not own FullMetal Alchemist, however much of a pipsqueak he is, but they do own Kaytie and Morgan.

From somewhere off in the distance: **Who are you calling so short he could be sitting on your desk and you wouldn't see him?!**

Jin's Lady and Chibi-chan: o.o

Envy: Snickers

* * *

Chapter 3: Knocked Out

"Hello?" Morgan answered in a groggy voice. She'd just woken up when the phone rang. "What do you mean **the inspection's today?!** "

"Yeah, you and FullMetal are about two hours late." Came Kaytie's voice from the other side of the receiver.

Morgan shot up and stumbled out of bed. "Are you freakin' kidding me?" She said frantically. Her first inspection as a State Alchemist and she was late. _'Great start, Morgan.' _

"Hold on," She said putting down the phone and grabbing her bag. She went to change and came out two minutes later. She took the phone back up. "Kaytie?"

"Jeeze, took you long enough."

"Sorry, I was thinking, why aren't you at headquarters?"

"Roy gave me a new assignment."

"Uh huh," Morgan wasn't really listening to the answer. She was too busy trying to wake Ed up, so far no luck.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" She whispered.

"What?" Kaytie asked.

"Ed won't wake up." Morgan replied, exasperated.

"Try dumping water on him."

"I just tried that."

"Poking him, pinching him"

"Tried, tried." She said, running her hands through her hair. "I guess I'll have to use the last resort."

"What are you gonna do?"

"Ed, **wake up you shorty short cake!**" Morgan yelled next to Ed's ear.

**"Who're you calling a bean sized bowl licker?!"**He yelled back, glaring at Morgan.

"He's up," Morgan said into the receiver.

"You better get down there. King Bradley's gonna-"

"Why'd they change the date anyway?" Morgan cut in.

"You know how I told you Bradley's always saying he's gonna have a surprise inspection then never does it? Well he actually decided to do it this time." She answered.

"Oh,"

"I'm coming in later so I'll see you."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye." She hung up.

"Why'd you wake me up?!" Ed yelled, coming out of the bathroom, dressed. He'd slept in his clothes the night before.

"King Bradley changed the inspection date; we're late."

"Shit."

"Yeah, exactly. Should we wake Al?"

"No, just write him a note."

Morgan quickly scribbled something down on a random piece of paper, then grabbed her bag and pulled Ed out the door.

* * *

"Roy!" Kaytie was exasperated. Roy must have been a thousand times harder to wake than Ed. How he ever made it to work on time every day was a mystery to her. She must have tried everything in the book- and then some.

She grabbed the nearest thing to her- the phone receiver- and hit him.

"Ow! Major Krimskii!" She raised an eyebrow.

"Since when with the formality?"

"Just a habit when someone hits me over the head with a random blunt object!" He yelled, turning to her.

"You're late for the inspection."

"What are you talking about? The inspection's not until tomorrow."

"He switched it, and you're about two hours late." She snickered. "Bradley's gonna kill you."

He scrambled out of bed and pushed Kaytie out so he could change

She swore not two seconds later, he was out and grabbing a cup of coffee. He rushed past her out the door.

"I don't think I've ever seen him run that fast." She voiced.

* * *

Morgan and Ed rushed out the door to find the streets cluttered with people wearing blue military uniforms, running to get to HQ.

"How many people did Kaytie have to call?! Morgan asked loudly. Ed sweat dropped.

They weaved in and out of the considerably taller crowd for about half an hour until Morgan finally collapsed.

"Come on, Morgan." Ed gasped. "Everyone's already gone and Mustang's gonna hang me if we don't get there soon."

"I can't move." Morgan Moaned, sitting in the middle of the sidewalk. "Admit it you're tired too."

"I am not! I could run all the way to HQ if you weren't so slow."

"Ed, HQ is fifteen minutes walking distance from here." Morgan said sighing.

"So, what's your point?"

"Okay, if I poke you and you fall over you're tired." She poked him and sure enough he crashed onto his side." See? I told you."

"Oh, shut up!" He said standing and extending a hand to help Morgan up.

"Do I have to?"

He nodded. "We're already late as it is." She sighed and heaved herself up with the help of Ed. They began running again.

* * *

"Now that you're all her except for a select few, I'd like to begin by-"

Morgan and Ed burst through the door, breathless. King Bradley turned to them. "Ah!" He said. "FullMetal,"

_'Please don't say my name, please don't say my name' _Morgan thought.

"-Aquatic, how nice of you to join us."

A light blush spread over Morgan's face. She hated her State name...a lot. "Aquatic?" Ed asked, turning to her.

"_You're _the FullMetal Alchemist?" Morgan asked, gaping.

"Aquatic?" He said again.

"Shut up,"

"At least mine sounds cool."

"Okay, worst comeback ever." She said as she walked over to where Colonel Mustang was standing, Ed followed her.

"As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted..."

The inspection went as it usually did until about half way through, when Kaytie walked through the door. Once again, one of King Bradley's speeches was interrupted.

"Hey!" She said saluting as she went to file her research. Kaytie purposely picked this day to file, just to laugh at all the people who had to be here.

"Major Krimskii, where have you been? You're-" He checked his watch. "-Five hours late."

She smiled slyly before answering and standing at attention. "Sir, Colonel Mustang said that the assignment you gave me exempts me from the inspection. I was just coming in to file."

"Well, you're here now you might as well stay. Go stand over there, next to Aquatic." Morgan twitched, he didn't call Kaytie by her state name.

Kaytie walked over as Bradley resumed talking. She leaned on Morgan's shoulder.

"Get off," Morgan said, shoving her off.

"Someone's not in a good mood." Kaytie taunted.

"No," Morgan agreed. "This someone's not a happy person at the moment."

"Sor_ry_," Kaytie said, insincerely. Morgan rolled her eyes.

Bradley cleared his throat. "Krimskii, Shaw! Listen and you might learn something! Aquatic this is the second time you've interrupted me. Don't let it happen again."

They waited a minute before continuing. "Ed's actually paying attention." Morgan stated. "Does he usually?" She asked.

"He's not here very often, but no, he's an idiot."

"You're just mean."

"Thank-you."

Morgan rolled her eyes. She hadn't meant that as a compliment but Kaytie usually took most insults as compliments.

This was turning out to be an all around bad day. Morgan woke up late, arrived late; Oh how she hated being late. _And _she didn't have any coffee. Kaytie was still whispering to her but she wasn't listening.

"Krimskii!" Bradley barked. "I thought I told you not five minutes ago to be quiet. Did I not?" Morgan snickered. "Quiet Aquatic, you might think being late is fashionable, but I have a different point of view." She snapped her mouth shut and flushed with embarrassment. Really, did he have to keep using her state name? "Krimskii, over here."

Morgan rolled her eyes again as Kaytie walked to Bradley's side.

* * *

Kaytie almost fell onto her couch when she got home, before remembering she needed to burn it. Roy trailed lazily behind her. "What's for dinner?" He asked. The look she gave him made him regret asking.

"Make your own." She said simply. "Morgan always had to, I usually go out."

"So all the food in the kitchen is Morgan's?"

"Pretty much, except the kimchii. Don't touch it, it's mine. You can have the rest, I very much doubt she's coming back for it, she gave me her key at the inspection."

"Oh. I'm assuming you called them too? Along with, you know, three quarters of the military personnel?"

"Yup," She said, planting herself at her desk.

"How did you know that anyway? That the inspection was today, I mean." Roy asked, getting food out of the fridge.

"You know how I told you to call your girlfriend back?" Roy gulped nervously. "You stayed on the phone all night, didn't you? 'Cause, when you finally got off, I checked my messages and I had one at the office. It was King Bradley."

He laughed nervously. "No...I didn't stay on the phone all night...'course not...what are you talking about...?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "You're such a door knob."

* * *

Mrs. Krimskii had left last night and took all of Morgan's things with her. The only things Morgan had were her messenger bag full of clothes, her hair brush, her tooth brush and her pocket watch.

She stretched out and lay on the single bed. "I don't wanna leave tomorrow!" She said, rolling onto her side to face Ed, who was sitting on the couch and Al who was at the desk reading. They'd just finished eating and it was getting dark outside.

"The sooner you leave the easier it'll be to say goodbye." Ed commented, folding his arms behind his head.

"To you? Ed, we've only been hanging out for two days."

"No, not to me! To Eastern, you can be such an idiot."

"I am not!" She said, sitting up, and sighing. "Al, are you sure you're not hungry?"

"Uh...no... I ate before you and brother got back."

"Alright, I'm gonna take a shower." She said, putting her hair up into a messy ponytail. "I'll be right back."

She came out ten minutes later to see them in almost the exact same position they were in before- only Ed had fallen asleep on the couch.

"Al, are you still reading?"

"Yeah, but I can stop and shut the light if you want." He answered, looking up from the alchemy book.

"Oh, no, that's okay. I'm the one imposing on you guys. But I seriously have to ask- isn't that armour uncomfortable to sleep in?"

"Uh...no, you'd be surprised..." He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Alright" She replied, turning back the covers and turning out the bedside lamp. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Morgan." She fell asleep instantly, Al noticed. He stared at her for a moment. Could this really be the Morgan they'd known seven years ago? She looked almost exactly the same way he remembered her. Same dull hair; same deep brown eyes; same goofy smile and same fruity laugh...Something was different though, he was sure of it. It was almost as if her eyes didn't sparkle anymore when she did laugh or smile. He missed it.

* * *

Kaytie woke with a start, then sighed. She passed her hand over her eyes; it was the middle of the night. She needed sleep and needed to get to work on that assignment tomorrow.

She got up to get a glass of water, maybe she'd sleep better after that. Fate was against her and peace apparently. Roy was on the couch, in his boxers, building a card house. She almost didn't say anything. Almost.

**"Get out, get out and get out! Out, out, out!!"**She knocked the card house over, grabbed his ear, and pulled him toward the door. "I don't care if you're only in your boxers now, **Get out!**" Kaytie pushed him out, and then triple locked the door. She knew that probably wasn't the smartest idea she'd ever had- kicking her boss out- but momentarily she just didn't care.

Abandoning her glass of water, she grabbed a spare blanket and fell into the comfy chair. She fell asleep ignoring Roy's continuous knocking.

When she woke again, it was still dark out. Sighing she decided she wasn't going to get anymore sleep. Tea, that's what she needed. She needed a very _strong _cup of tea. Roy wasn't knocking anymore so she'd figured he'd given up and probably gone to Riza's.

Kaytie had just switched the kettle on when the pounding started again. Not again, she already had a headache, she didn't need this. "Give it up. I'm not letting you in Mustang!"

* * *

"Can I eat the door?" A short plump man that strongly resembled a blob and a tall pale woman with flowing black hair and a low-cut dress stood outside Kaytie Krimskii's door.

"No Gluttony. You may not eat the door...yet. If she doesn't answer soon, you may have to." The woman named Lust answered.

* * *

Kaytie stood at her door, frozen. Did she just hear correctly? Someone wanted to eat her _door_? Quietly she tip-toed back to the kitchen and grabbed a knife. She didn't plan to use it as a weapon however. Taking it in her hand, she carved an unusual looking transmutation circle into the palm of her other hand. After washing the blood off, she quickly threw her long red hair into a messy bun. If it was a fight they, whoever they were, it was a fight they were gonna get.

Experimentally, she clapped her hands. The cut stung like hell. It was times like these that she cursed leaving her gloves in her desk at HQ.

Kaytie went out the back of the kitchen and slid along the wall to the living room. She saw two figures. She noticed her door was missing.

The woman noticed her. "The Biohazardous Alchemist," She said. "Or better known as Kathryn Krimskii."

Kaytie's attention was immediately drawn to the woman's upper chest. She'd seen that symbol when she was researching yesterday. She knew instantly. "Homunculi..." She whispered.

"Smart girl." Lust said, raising an eyebrow and smirking. Kaytie took a few steps forward as not to be pinned to the wall. "Come with us and there doesn't have to be a-"

"Like hell," Kaytie cut in, sneering.

"Can I eat her?"

"No Gluttony, you may not eat her. We need her." Lust answered moving toward Kaytie. She didn't waver.

"Why do you need me?" Kaytie asked, slowly. "What am I to you?"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out." Lust's silky voice sent shivers down her spine.

Kaytie got into a defensive position. "I'd like to see you try and take me."

Lust smirked and extended her fingers toward her. Kaytie ducked, she didn't see that one coming. She aimed a low kick at Lust's feet to trip her.

Lust moved back and she missed. Kaytie's eyes widened as Gluttony came toward her, mouth open wide. She kicked him hard in the stomach and sent him stumbling back into the couch.

"Tell the blob to stay away from me." She said, standing breathlessly. She aimed a side kick at Lust's jaw but she caught her foot.

"Foolish girl." She said, pushing her over. Kaytie crashed into the ground hard. Okay, maybe physical combat wouldn't work. She scrambled to her feet and sprinted behind the couch. "It's no use trying to hide." Lust said.

"I'm not trying to hide." Kaytie sneered, eyes flashing quickly to Gluttony, who was now gnawing on the couch. '_Oh well, one less thing to burn' _Lust extended her fingers again and Kaytie span out of the way just in time, causing her fingers to extend right through the window, shattering the glass.

Lust's face contorted in anger as she made a swipe at Kaytie. She missed as Kaytie dropped to the floor. _'Okay,' _She thought. _'Think fast.' _Then it hit her. She'd been stupid not to think of it before.

_The Biohazardous Alchemist_. Meaning the _Living_-hazardous Alchemist. Kaytie Jumped up and clapped her hands. She extended her finger nails so that they clashed with Lust's.

"Just what I've been waiting for." Lust smirked.

Kaytie's eyes widened for the second time that day. She knew?! Lust knew she could perform Human transmutations on herself? Not even Morgan knew. "You bitch, stay away from me!" She yelled, coming 'round the couch, clashing nails.

Kaytie found a weak spot. She clapped again, and ignoring the stinging cut, she extended the finger nails of her other hand. She plunged them through Lust's stomach. Smirking and feeling very relieved, she withdrew them.

What she wasn't expecting, however, was the sound of Lust laughing. When Kaytie took a second look at her, her wound was completely healed.

Lust's laughing stopped abruptly and she caught Kaytie off guard. She made a stab for her and Kaytie just barely had time to dodge. One of Lust's fingers had made a long deep gash across Kaytie's cheek

She reached up to feel it. The cut stung to the touch. When she pulled her fingers away, blood dotted the tips. She smeared it on her pajama top, laughing sadistically. "Is that all you've got?"

Before she finished taunting, however, there was a sharp, searing pain in the back of her head, the shattering sound of glass, and a loud thump as she fell to the ground unconscious, nails retracted.

"Good job, Gluttony." Lust said. "Let's go."

Gluttony shoved the lamp he'd used to knock Kaytie out with in his mouth, then followed Lust.

"Envy!" She called. "We need your help."


	4. Chapter 04

Authors' Notes:

Jin's Lady: I'm not even going to bother with anything today, 'cause you know what? I'm lazy. Although I have to say thank-you to those who reviewed!

Chibi-chan: Sighs Me too, and I hate english homework that's all I have to say... Anyway, I'm just gonna get Morgan to do the disclaimer today. Morgan, take it way.

Morgan: Whatever. Reads Off Script Jin's Lady and Chibi-chan do not own FullMetal Alchemist but they do own Kaytie and I...Hey wait! What do you mean you own me?

Chibi-chan Ignores Read and Review!

* * *

Chapter 4: Back on Resembool

Morgan had been back in Risembool for a week, and she was already sick of it. It wasn't so much the town itself, but the people.

She made a disgusted face as she threw Mrs. Krimskii's dirty clothes in the washing machine. "Morgan!" She heard the evil woman call, "I need you to vacuum when you're done, and after that wash the dishes then make dinner!"

The brunette sighed as she sprinkled the soap in the washer. "Yes, Mrs. Krimskii." She'd been doing odd jobs like this since she'd arrived, and she swore if she had to clean out one more closet, she was going to scream.

Morgan placed the clean wash on top the dryer.

_"It's been so long since I've been there though, don't make me go back!" Morgan almost had tears in her eyes. Going back meant seeing a lot of people she hadn't seen in a very long time; she'd rather leave it that way. _

"Morgan, Mustang said you have to go. Do you really think Al and I like doing all the assignments we have to do?" Ed asked, pushing her toward the train.

"No, but this isn't an assignment! He kicked me out of my own apartment!"

"You have to go the train's leaving now." He said pushing her on. "All you can do is hope Mustang'll call soon and have an assignment that'll require you to go back to Eastern."

"I guess. Visit, okay? Winry'll wanna see you too."

"Yeah," Al chimed in. "Every chance we get."

So far they hadn't come. Finally she switched off the vacuum and stored it away in the cupboard. She was just about to start the dishes when she heard someone start knocking on the door. "Morgan could you get that?"

"Yes Mrs. Krimskii." She felt like a maid. _'Morgan do this, Morgan do that.' **Cinderelli, Cinderelli. **_She couldn't take it anymore. If the Colonel didn't call soon, she was going to go insane.

At the door there stood a man that Morgan guessed to be in his mid-twenties. He had green eyes and short black hair. He was dressed in brown traveling clothes and a brown hat. At his side there stood a little girl around the age of three. She had the same messy black hair but her eyes were blue. She held his hand.

"Can I help you?" She asked, looking from the man to the girl.

"Yeah," He answered. "You can tell me who you are."

Morgan quirked an eyebrow; It didn't sound right to her, a stranger showing up at the door and asking who she was. "I'm Morgan Shaw, although I think I should be asking you that question."

"Miguel Krimskii, nice to meet you." He said, extending his hand for her to shake. "Does my mother still live here by any chance?"

She took his hand and quickly stepped aside so he could come in. "I'm so sorry, how rude of me." She apologized. "Yes, I'm a guest here for the next couple of months."

"No problem," He said stepping in with his little girl. "This is my daughter Alicia"

She came out from behind her dad, smiling. "You're pretty!" She said brightly.

Morgan's cheeks tinted pink. "So are you." She said back. Then she turned to Miguel and took his coat. "Your Mom's in the living room reading."

"Thanks," He said, grabbing Alicia's hand and walking toward the living room.

* * *

At last she'd finished every single chore in the house- and then some. Morgan sat in front of a suspicious looking door that she'd been wondering about. It had twelve different locks, all of which wouldn't budge, and looked to be burnt black.

"That was Kaytie's room." Miguel said, sitting beside her. "I've been working to get it open since she left."

"Were you close?"

"We used to be," He said. "But I haven't seen her since she left."

"She's fine." Morgan replied, bringing her knees to her chest.

"And how would you know? You've never met her...She can be reckless and Impulsive and...and"

"She can also be quick- thinking and a good listener and to my knowledge has never lost a fight before." Morgan countered. "I do know her you know. I grew up in Risembool but moved when I was seven. Then my parents died and I took the State Alchemist exam, passed and was sent to live with her. She's fine," She repeated. "State Alchemist and all."

"I knew your name sounded familiar...Shaw...Aren't you that kid she used to throw rocks at, you and some other blond kid?"

Morgan laughed. "Yup, me and Ed. He's a State Alchemist now too." She shook he head. "The FullMetal Alchemist. I don't know why they gave him that name though. I don't even know why he joined. It seems a bit...I don't know...stern for him."

Miguel looked at her for a second. She didn't know? It wasn't really his place to tell her, so he wouldn't, he decided. She's find out one way or another on her own. He changed the subject, "So what's your State name?"

"Promise not to laugh?" She asked, he nodded and she sighed. "The Aquatic Alchemist."

He snorted. "They gave you that name?"

She smiled slightly. "Yeah, I didn't have a choice in the matter."

"What's Kaytie's?" Ha asked, turning to her. For Kaytie's brother, they didn't look anything alike- except for their eyes. They had the same eyes. Kaytie really didn't look like _any _of her family. They all had black hair and Kaytie had red hair. Almost everyone in her family had hazel eyes save for Miguel and Kaytie, and, well, Morgan didn't know what Joey looked like, so she couldn't compare.

"Biohazadous, once again, I don't know why."

Miguel's eyes flashed with something Morgan couldn't read, possibly a mix between surprise and worry? Morgan looked away, deciding it'd be rude to pry.

"Well," She said. "I'm going to bed, your Mom's like a slave driver."

"Tell me about it," He agreed, standing up himself. They both went to their separate rooms.

Morgan's room was plain. The walls were white, the curtains were white, the chair was white, the carpet was white, the dresser was painted white, the bed frame was painted white, the desk was painted white, and the bed spread was white. About the only thing that added some contrast were the ripped open black garbage bags that held her clothes and her still packed cardboard boxes.

She fell onto the bed, exhausted. If Mrs. Krimskii kept her working like this she'd never have the time or energy to unpack.

Not even bothering to change or get under the covers, she fell asleep, one arm holding her pillow close.

* * *

Morgan woke the next morning to soft knocking on her door. She ignored it, rolling over and drawing the blankets over her head. "Go away," She murmured.

"Morgan," Miguel's voice was heard on the other side of the door. "You have a call on the phone."

Morgan shot up and scrambled out of bed. If it was the Colonel she didn't want to miss the call. The sooner she got back to the city the better. She opened the door and Miguel handed her the phone. "How do you manage to be awake at this time?" Morgan asked, rubbing at her eyes.

"I have a three-year-old daughter." He said. "And it's not early, it's noon."

Morgan shook her head and shut the door. "Hello?" She answered.

"Morgan!" Oh God. She knew that voice anywhere. So far Winry hadn't come to visit her; she knew that peace would soon end. "Why didn't you come visit me and Grams?"

_'Because I didn't want to,' _Morgan thought. "I haven't had time yet." She lied.

"I haven't seen you since you moved! You should come over today. I already talked to Mrs. Krimskii. She said she'd give you the day off. Are you like her maid or something?" Winry asked.

An anger tick mark appeared on Morgan's forehead. "No! She's been _kind _enough to let me stay her for a while 'cause I got kicked out of my apartment."

"Your parents kicked you out?"

"No! Look, I'll be over in an hour, okay?"

"Yup, can't wait!" They hung up. Morgan sighed; she really didn't want to go. She wouldn't mind seeing Auntie Pinako but her and Winry's personalities had always clashed.

She quickly took a shower, brushed her teeth and dressed. When she moved back she had quickly figured out that her usual 'uniform' was way too warm for Risembool, so instead she opted for a midnight blue tank top and blue cut-off jean shorts. She quickly threw her hair into a messy ponytail.

She exited the bathroom to see Miguel standing there. "Can you do me a huge favour?" He asked.

Morgan nodded. "Sure," Maybe it'd get her out of going to Winry's. "What is it?"

"Well, I feel kinda bad for asking, but could you baby-sit Alicia?" He scuffed his foot on the floor. "Mom and Dad are going out to buy supplies to fix the roof. I don't know if you've noticed but there's a leak in the study. They don't know what's what when it comes to stuff like that so I'm going to help them and we're going out to dinner afterward." He said hurriedly.

"Relax," She replied. "I'll do it, what time?"

"We're leaving at six."

"Wow, late supper." Morgan said, grabbing her purse.

"Yeah, you've probably noticed that they eat late too." He looked really relieved. "That's why I was thinking maybe you could invite your friend to sleep over." Morgan froze mid-step. "I've already checked with Mom and she says it's alright and I've also checked with Mrs. Rockbell and she says it's fine too."

Morgan sighed; fate was so against her and peace. "Alright, sounds good. I'll be back for six."

"Have fun!" Miguel said shutting the door behind her.

"Fat chance," Morgan said, walking towards Winry's house.

The streets were the same as she remembered.

She rang the door bell and waited. "Well, look who it is, it's one of the pipsqueaks back from the city."

"Hi, Auntie Pinako," Morgan said "It's been awhile."

"Yes it has, seven years; you've even grown a little."

"Morgan!" Something tall and blonde glomped her.

"Winry, get off!" Morgan said shoving her off and getting back to her feet.

She got a good look at her. Winry still had her platinum blonde hair; it was tucked away under a red bandana. She wore a black tube top that showed off her mid-drift and a low-rise greyish-purplish cargo pants with a sweater tied around her waist.

Winry grabbed Morgan's wrist and dragged her into her room "So how've you been?" she asked sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Alright," Morgan said, sitting in the chair by the desk. "How's life been here?"

"You know the usual, automail."

"You're the same as always." Morgan said smiling in spite of herself. "Saw Ed and Al last week."

"They were here and they didn't come visit me?!"

"No, Winry, in Eastern; I told them to come visit though." She said, putting one foot on the chair and wrapping her arms around her leg.

"What did you mean, 'kicked out of your apartment'?" She asked.

"My boss kicked me out." Morgan replied simply.

"But...what?" Winry looked generally confused. "You live with your boss?!"

"No! Ewwww!" Morgan made a face. "Living with Mustang would just be wrong!"

"Mustang...? Isn't that Ed's boss?" Winry asked, putting two and two together. "You became a State Alchemist?"

"Yup," Morgan said, grinning widely. She'd always been proud of herself ever since she passed the state exam. Both her parents had been State Alchemists and she wanted to follow in their footsteps. She pulled her watch out of her pocket. "See?"

"Don't let Grams see that, she wasn't too happy when Ed and Al ran off."

"I figured which is why the chain isn't showing." She slipped it backing her pocket.

"So who do you live with now if not your boss or your parents?"

"Kaytie," Winry choked on air. "What?"

"You mean the evil child who pulled my hair, threw rocks at us and pushed you in the lake?" Winry looked horror-struck. "She's in the military too? They _let _her in?!"

"Yeah, Ed knows, he didn't tell you?" She asked. "I'm going to assume he keeps in touch."

"Yeah, he keeps in touch, sort of," She answered. "But only when he needs work done and he never tells me anything anyway."

"'Work done', what do you mean?" Morgan asked, Winry looked at her weird. "And why does everyone stare at me when I ask if he comes to visit or whatever?

"Nothing, he just comes if he needs to do stuff here." She responded.

Morgan knew she wasn't telling the whole truth, but let it drop anyway. She shifted slightly in her seat.

"So why are you staying with the Krimskiis? Your parents didn't come with you?"

"Uh," She knew this question would pop up eventually, but truthfully she still wasn't prepared for it. "They died last year." She said quietly. The next thing she knew, Winry was hugging her. "Winry, no hugs!" She hugged tighter. "Let go!" She pushed her off.

"I know how you feel, remember when my parents died? You were there for me and now I'm gonna be there for you!" She said, pulling Morgan to sit with her on her bed.

"Yeah, I remember," Morgan answered. _'Let's change the subject' _"So what do you wanna do tonight, I'm assuming that Auntie told you you're sleeping over"

"Yeah! I can't wait! We can catch up on everything!" Morgan was surprised at herself. She was actually having a good time with Winry... Now the only question was, who was she and what had she done with the real Morgan?

"Me either," She actually said this honestly. "When Alicia goes to sleep we can have a girl's night and talk about anything from boys to...I don't know...automail! She said smiling.

"No sarcasm?" Winry asked.

"No sarcasm," Morgan agreed.

* * *

The rest of their free day passed fairly quickly and then there was the idea of lugging Winry's bag all the way back to the Krimskii's.

Mrs. Rockbell hugged Morgan and Winry at the door. "Have fun, and pipsqueak, you come back now, y' hear?"

"Yup, I'll see you tomorrow when I drop Winry off."

"Alright, Bye!" Winry called, waving back.

Their feet walked automatically toward Mrs. Krimskii's house. It was quiet most of the way and Morgan's eyes wandered around the familiar streets. "Y'know," She said. "Maybe living back here isn't so bad. I'll actually miss it when I have to go."

"You mean you're not here for good?" Winry asked, turning to her.

"I'm a State Alchemist; I will eventually have to do an assignment, unless it's just a research assignment, then I'll get to stay."

"I hope so, I like having you around to talk to." Winry smiled, Morgan smiled back.

They reached the front door and Morgan unlocked it with her key. "Home sweet home" She muttered sarcastically.

"You don't like the Krimskiis, do you?" Winry asked, following Morgan to her room.

"Miguel's not too bad and neither is Mr. Krimskii...It's mostly just Mrs. Krimskii."

"Oh," Winry said. "Nice room"

"Liar," Morgan said, shoving her still-packed cardboard boxes in her closet and out of the way. "It's plain but that's okay, hopefully I won't be here too long."

"But you just said-"

"I know what I said; I'm not sure what I want. I miss my office, well Kaytie's office and I miss my apartment, well Kaytie's apartment."

"Oh,"

The truth was Morgan was confused. Basically, in the last year had been like an emotional roller coaster ride. First her parents die then six moths of training with Maes Hughes in Military practice, and with Samantha Patel, her Alchemy teacher. The State Exam was hell on her nerves, i _then_, when she was finally completely comfortable living with Kaytie, Ed and Al show up and she's stuck back in Risembool. _Lovely_, now she didn't know what she wanted.

"Morgan is that you?" Came Miguel's voice. "Did you two eat?" He showed up, carrying Alicia in his arms.

"Awww!" Winry gushed. "She's so cute!" Alicia giggled.

"No," Morgan answered, "I was just gonna make us something when I feed Alicia."

"Are you sure? I could make you something before we leave; I mean you're always cooking for Mom"

"Yeah, but it's different when she's not breathing down my neck."

"Alright"

"Miguel, Honey!" Mrs. Krimskii's voice rang through the house. "We're leaving now!"

Miguel handed Alicia over to Winry and said hurriedly to Morgan, "The list of things to do is on the kitchen table, just follow it and she shouldn't be any trouble."

"Right," She answered. "See you in a couple of hours I guess."

He nodded and left. "Coming Mother!"

When they were gone Morgan led Winry into the kitchen. Setting Alicia in her chair, she opened the fridge. "What do you want to eat?"

"I want cookies!" Alicia said smiling.

"Sorry Alicia, your Daddy wants you to have-" She checked the list. "Grilled cheese."

"But, but I want cookies!" Morgan sighed; Winry was visibly trying to hold back her laughter. That probably wasn't helping much.

"How about a cookie for dessert?" She reasoned. "_After _you've had your dinner."

The fake tears stopped flowing and she instantly smiled.

_'How manipulative' _Morgan thought.

"Winry do you like grilled cheese...or I could make you something else if you want,"

"No that's fine." She was amusing Alicia by making funny faces.

Morgan rolled her eyes and turned to the list Miguel had written as she made the food.

_**Morgan, ** _

**Alicia can be a little bit of a handful at times, and personally, I won't be surprised if you and your friend are out cold by the time we get home. **

Morgan scoffed, yeah right. She'd had a lot of experience with kids. She had a little sister Celina who lived with her grandmother. The reason Morgan wasn't with them at the moment was her grandmother didn't have the time or money or space to take care of another person.

_**If you follow the list I've set out for you, you shouldn't have any trouble.** _

**List of things to follow: **

_**center 7:00- Dinner (Too bust helping Mom to make anything, sorry!)** _

**8:00- I usually read her something. She has a short attention span and I plan to lengthen it. Just tell her a story or something.**

**8:30- Bath. This may be a slight hassle. If she gives you a hard time, just leave it and I'll do it tomorrow.**

**9:00- Bed. Also may be a slight hassle. Just, if she doesn't sleep, do a craft with her or something. For dinner, just feed her something simple like grilled cheese and what not.**

**And remember; DO NOT give her sugar at all! You'll never get her to sleep. Thank-you so much for doing this, I really appreciate it!**

**List of things Mom wants you to do: -Vacuum  
-Water plants  
-Sweep  
-Finish Laundry /center**

**You don't have to do this but she suggests it, and we all know what that means. If you don't have time or don't feel like it just forget it and I'll do it tomorrow. Thanks again, See ya soon **  
** Miguel Krimskii **

Morgan raised an eyebrow. Did he really think she'd have that much trouble to take care of? Morgan would almost bet her life she'd have absolutely no problem.

As for Mrs. Krimskii's chores, she didn't want to do them but she'd feel bad if Miguel had to do them. Maybe she'd make Winry do them, she had yet to decide.

After dinner they had some time to spare, according to Miguel's letter. Morgan decided to get a jump start on her 'chores'. "Could you keep an eye on Alicia, Winry?" She asked. "Mrs. Krimskii wants me to vacuum."

"Seems like I'm baby-sitting more than you," She answered bluntly.

"Ahhh, come on! Please?" She bagged. "Miguel said I gotta vacuum!"

"He said she 'suggests that you vacuum, and that he'd do it later if you didn't want to."

"Yeah, but I'd feel bad if he had to do it."

Winry sighed. "Fine"

"Thank-you...a lot!"

For than next half an hour or so, the brunette finished the laundry and vacuumed.

Morgan shut of the vacuum and sighed. Having finished the upstairs, now she only needed to do the rest of the house. '_Oh, joy.' _

She felt someone tap on her shoulder. "Yeah?" She put her weight on the vacuum handle.

"Alicia's out cold, if you want I could help you"

Morgan spun around, "Really?" Without waiting for an answer, she hugged Winry really tight.

"No prob,"

"Okay," Morgan said, getting into what her friends called her 'bossy mode'. 'You finish vacuuming and I'll do everything else."

Half an hour or so later, they lay sprawled on Morgan's bed, exhausted. Maybe they should have just left the chores to Miguel.

"She makes...you do this...everyday?" Winry asked between gasps. Mrs. Krimskii had a big house. The upstairs (which was thankfully already done by Morgan,) the main level had two bathrooms, a living room a kitchen, a study, the 'family room' as the krimskiis called it, and the master bedroom. Then there was the basement and the attic, all of which had to be vacuumed, save for that door to the room that looked to be charred. She was out of breath. "What do you say we skip bath time and sleep? Let's quit while we're ahead. Where is her bed anyway?"

Morgan sat up and blinked. That was a good question. "I don't know," She confessed. "Probably in Miguel's room." She heaved herself out of bed. "You stay here, I'll put her in bed."

"Alrighty then," Winry answered, she'd probably pass out as soon as Morgan left the room.

Morgan made her way to the living room quietly. She knew that if she woke Alicia, things wouldn't be pretty.

_"Morgan!" Her sister was blonde and had bluish-purple eyes that were now filled with angry tears. "I'm tired and the thunder won't let me sleep!" She bawled, sleepy tears streaming down her cheeks. _

Nine-year-old Morgan instantly hopped out of her bed on the opposite end of the room that she shared with Celina. She scooped her Three-year old sister up in her arms and carried her back to her bed. "Are you scared?" She asked softly.

Celina nodded, whimpering as lightning streaked outside their window and was followed by a boom of thunder.

Eventually Celina fell asleep in her arms with Morgan stroking her hair. She tugged the blankets out from under them and flopped down, the blue-eyed blonde beside her. "You're such a nuisance, but I love you anyway."

Morgan stopped mid-step, half way to Miguel's room, Alicia in her arms. She blinked...was that an actual memory? Hurriedly she placed Alicia in her bed and tucked her in.

_'What was that?' _She thought as she tread her way back to the kitchen; she needed tea.

The dizzy feeling was still there. She leaned back against the fridge, waiting for the kettle to whistle. Maybe it was being in Risembool that caused the memory to resurface. No, Morgan shook her head, that couldn't be right, Celina wasn't born 'till after they moved to Eastern.

She jumped when she heard the kettle shrieking. She took it off the burner and poured a mug. She added the milk and sugar and watched as the dark liquid turned a murky brown.

Morgan leaned against the counter, stirring her tea. She realized something. Or made a connection, she was too tired to know the difference.

Her memories reminded her of the tea. Or was it the tea reminded her of her memories…was there a difference?

She swirled it around in the mug. _'Yes,' _She thought. _'They're very similar, they're both opaque.' _


	5. Chapter 05

Authors' Notes:

Kaytie: There's no way you can get me to do the diaclaimer. Nope, none.

Jin's Lady: You do the disclaimer or you kiss Ed. It's your choice.

Kaytie:...I choose death.

Chibi-chan: Sorry, not an option at the moment.

Kaytie: Fine give me the stupid script. Snatches Script From Chibi-chan Jin's Lady and Chibi-chan do not own any of FullMetal Alchemist although, they do own Me and Morgan.

Chibi-chan and Jin's Lady: Good girl.

* * *

Chapter 5: Everyday Life, Locked Up

'_My head hurts'_

These were Kaytie Krimskii's first thoughts as she rolled over on an uncomfortably hard bed. '_Life sucks.'_

She unstuck her eyelids revealing confused green pools.

**_"I don't care if you're only in your boxers, I warned you, now get out!"_**

She'd kicked Roy out…

**_"Can I eat the door?"_**

Lovely, one sticky, unpleasant mess after another.

**_"The biohazardous Alchemist," She said. "or better known as Kathryn Krimskii."_**

Lust,

**_"Can I eat her?"_**

Gluttony,

**She _extended her fingernails so that they clashed with Lust's. "Just what I've been waiting for," Lust smirked._**

They knew, she rolled over and retched.

Someone sitting in the corner jumped up, startled. "You're awake?"

Come to think of it, where was she? Her green orbs scanned the room. It was dark with little to no light showing. There wasn't anything in the room save for the bed she lay on and the chair the stranger sat on. All she could see were shadows.

"Who are you?" She asked, her voice scratchy. She knew it wasn't Lust or Gluttony, could it have been one of the others? "How long have I been out for?"

The person stepped closer and Kaytie's first impression wasn't exactly good. Not that it had much chance to begin with though, considering she was being held against her will.

She couldn't tell whether it was male or female, or whether it took the i form /i of male or female. All she knew was, whatever it was, had spiky hair that reminded her slightly of a palm tree. It was wearing a dark shirt that showed off its mid-drift and….a skirt? Kaytie couldn't tell.

"I dunno if I should tell you." The voice wasn't wary like she thought it would be, it was more…. She didn't know…sarcastic? No, that wasn't the right word. It sounded like it was taunting her. "You, I assume, are the Biohazardous Alchemist?" It wasn't a question however, it was phrased more like a statement.

Kaytie's eyes narrowed. "I'll ask you one more time," She said coldly. "where am I, who are you and how long have I been out for?"

"Lust and Gluttony really did a number on you, didn't they?" It jeered. Kaytie flushed, she was glad it was dark. Having never lost a fight before, she was embarrassed. "You were out for a week. One pitiful week that I had to watch you, a waste of time if you ask me."

"Where am I?" Kaytie asked again, she was getting impatient.

"That…I can't tell you." It replied.

"Okay," Kaytie said bluntly. "I'm sorry but I have to know. Are you male or female?"

The talking palm tree twitched. "I'm male."

"Really? I would have guessed female."

"Oh, shut up."

Kaytie sighed and threw the blankets off her, it was sweltering. Her eyes widened. "Who the hell changed me?!"

It snickered, _He_ snickered, Kaytie corrected herself. "Lust did." He answered.

She let out a long sigh of relief. At least Lust was a girl, even if she was evil. On the other had she wasn't too fond of the outfit. It was a beige shirt that had the sleeves cut off at the elbows and a pair of short black shorts. _'No,'_ She thought. _'I much prefer my uniform'_

She turned her gaze back to the palm tree. "Alright Spiky, who're you?"

"I'm Envy, if you must know." He replied.

So she was right, it was another sin. Now which were missing? She's already met Lust, Gluttony and now Envy. Theoretically, if her assumptions were correct there were four sins missing. They would take the guise of Sloth, Wrath, Pride and Greed. The seven deadly sins.

"Right then, Envy, I'm going back to sleep to see of I can try to get rid of the feeling that my head's going to split in two." She said drawing the blankets up over her new hated clothes. "By the way you might wanna clean that up." She motioned to the mess on the floor to the side of the bed.

Kaytie saw Envy make a face before her eyes closed and she fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

When Kaytie woke up again Envy was gone and a girl had replaced him. The room was just as dark as previous so the only reason she could see more than a figure was because the girl had moved Envy's chair closer.

"Who're you?" Kaytie asked bluntly, taking in her appearance.

The new Homunculi had straight long brown hair and wore a long black dress, similar to Lust's. She looked familiar.

"Sloth," She answered.

"I'm guessing I'm not supposed to leave this room am I?"

"No,"

_'Not much of a talker,'_ Kaytie decided. She wasn't tired anymore and her head no longer felt as though it was going to crack. It still hurt though, she figured being hit over the head with her own lamp might do that.

She swung her legs off the bed and pushed the blankets off. She was bored to tears. There was nothing to do. She was stuck in a room with a chair a bed and someone who didn't talk. At least Envy was amusing. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Envy was back. Over the course of- Kaytie counted- this was the tenth day, counting the week she'd been out, she'd met a grand total of four sins: Lust and Gluttony, although they'd never watched her, Sloth and Envy. She was going stir crazy.

"I'm tired," She said for what seemed to Envy the millionth time that hour. He watched her fold her arms behind her head and lean back. "And bored."

"Ah, would you just shut up?"

"No! You shut up!" He'd just tread on her last nerve. How would he like being locked up and being able to do absolutely nothing? Knowing that your friends are probably worried sick about you? "If I'm being held here you should be entertaining me!"

"Are you kidding? I'm not a puppet!"

"No, you're not," Kaytie agreed. **"Homunculi are just artificial human beings!" **

"That's why we need you." He said, smirking.

**"I hate you!"** Kaytie said very quietly, her voice practically dripping in ice. "Why can't you just let me go?!"

"Sadly as _'artificial human beings'_ we can't perform alchemy, which is where you come in. The only reason you're alive is for us. We need for you to create for us a philosopher's stone."

"Um, I'm sorry, what?!"

Envy smirked his little sadistic smirk that made Kaytie want to reach out and rip it right off his face. "You heard me princess."

"Okay, let's get a few things straight here. One: Never call me that again. Two: I'm not making you a philosopher's stone! I do know what's involved in that, you know! I do excel in that department! There's no way in the seven hells that I'm doing it! Get it through your spiky head! I'm not sacrificing humans, there's no way. Besides, that's so Ed's department."

Envy made a disgusted face. "You'll do as we say, regardless of whether you agree or not!"

Kaytie snorted. "I don't think so Spiky."

"Oh yeah?"

"You're all talk no-" She sneezed. "action!" She sneezed again. "I'm gonna kill whoever's talking about me! Besides, you wear a skirt!" She sneezed _again_. "Oh, come on!"

"It's a skort." He said flatly. "And I could care less what you think. Don't call me spiky and you will do what we say, otherwise," He paused for the dramatic effect. "We'll tell everyone, including your little friends, what you do with your alchemy and how you do it."

Kaytie narrowed her eyes. "You don't know how I do it."

"We don't, Danté does." He opened the door and left. She heard the familiar click of a lock.

_'Danté? Who's Danté?'_ She sat back on her bed. How would Morgan react? And Ed, not that she cared what the pipsqueak thought for that matter but what of Al? She laid back. He'd been her only friend when she was little, her mother had made sure of that? What would he think?

* * *

Kaytie was anxious for Envy to return. She's decided that they could never know. Ever.

She was going to kill Roy when she got back. When he said she had an assignment, she should have just stabbed him. She knew the assignment had to have something to do with this. She knew it.

She started pacing again. "I hate him, I hate him! Uh! When- if- I get back, I'm gonna kill him!" She decided to blame Roy because he was the easiest to blame. She stopped in her tracks when she heard the door click open. Her face fell when Lust entered.

She hadn't had the pleasure of coming face to face with Lust since _'the incident'_ as she now referred to it. Contempt was etched in every line of her face.

"Well, well, well," Lust drawled.

Kaytie chose not to answer for fear of ruining the chances of he plan succeeding.

"Envy must have told of our plan…? I'm assuming you refused considering he had to resort to blackmail." Kaytie hated that silky voice…she shuddered. Lust extended a finger. "I'm here to persuade you."

Kaytie snorted, "Really now, are you? Did you forget I can do the same thing?"

"Did you forget how you ended up here?"

Kaytie flushed a pale pink and rolled her eyes. "I'm more worried about what they'll think about why I'm called Biohazardous than you killing me," She said truthfully. "I have a compromise for you."

She felt bad for doing it, she really did. The last thing Ed and Al needed was Homunculi pestering them (Although she doubted very much that they wouldn't do more then pester.) and she realized that it was selfish but she had no other option.

"Lust raised an eyebrow. "Really girl? Let's hear it."

* * *

Kaytie felt much better. She had Lust's reassurance that they wouldn't tell anyone and had successfully diverted her attention away from herself for now.

She'd told Lust about Ed. How he was a prodigy and what not. How he did Human Transmutation, ( _'Morgan doesn't know about that yet'_ she reminded herself) and how he could perform alchemy without a transmutation circle. She rolled over. _That_ seemed to have gotten her attention. Although Kaytie had a feeling that Lust had already know a lot of what she's told her.

Then there was the other problem. Somehow, they'd sucked her into helping them. She wondered how that would end up turning out.

Kaytie sighed; she needed to plan her next move.


	6. Chapter 06

Author's Notes: Chibi-chan: Thank-you to those who reviewed!

Jin's Lady: Do you have to be so perky?

Chibi-chan: Yes.

Jin's Lady: Whatever, you're weird.

Chibi-chan: Thank-you.

Jin's Lady: Roles Eyes Anyway, Al, would you be so kind as to do the disclaimer today?

Al: Sure. Jin's Lady and Chibi-chan do not own FullMetal Alchemist but they do own Morgan and Kaytie. Was that good?

Chibi-chan: Yup yup! . Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 6: To expect the Unexpected

_Red lightening streaked across the room._

Morgan sat up in a cold sweat. Her breathing was heavy and as she passed her hand over her face she found that it was tear streaked.

She felt a familiar yet shocking sensation as her stomach turned over and her mouth started watering. As quickly as she could, she scrambled out of bed and rushed to the washroom. Morgan bent over the sink and threw up.

The brunette felt someone hold her hair back as she retched again. Wiping her mouth on the back oh her sleeve, she looked over her shoulder to see Miguel smiling.

She managed a weak smile back. "Thanks, I think I'm okay now though."

"You sick or something?"

Morgan shook her head and turned on the tap to wash her hands and mouth.

"I heard you screaming and crying in your sleep. That's why I came to check on you."

"I-I wasn't crying." Morgan said quickly. "Just a nightmare that's all."

She washed out the sink then returned to her room. What_ was_ wrong with her? Not only did she not get sick, but she was Morgan, she never got sick. She hadn't thrown up in years. She put that thought aside for now; she had to be at Winry's in an hour. It was her 'day off' as Mrs. Krimskii called it.

She quickly showered to get rid of the cold sweat and clammy feeling she'd gotten when she vomited.

When she stepped out again, she was still shaking.

Glancing out the window, Morgan saw the trees blowing in the wind. She sighed; it was going to be one of those days….

She decided it was cold out and dressed in her usual outfit; Navy blue tank top with translucent blue sleeves and dark blue cargo pants. With her watch in her pocket, she grabbed her purse and left, locking the door behind her.

The wind whipped her hair around and she hugged herself to get warm.

She was wondering whether Winry would mid very much if she was just a teensy bit late. She probably wouldn't. Morgan stepped off the main road and cut across a field.

In front of her stood a white house with blue shutters and a blue door. It was three floors, Morgan remembered, the basement, the main, and the upstairs. Her room had been on the upstairs.

She hadn't visited her old house before now, it looked pretty worn. The apple tree was still in the front yard but the grass in the front and back needed a good cutting.

She wondered if anyone lived here now. Probably not, judging by the state of things….

When they moved, she reflected, they'd left all their furniture. Her mother had called it a fresh start, Morgan called it stupid.

She sat on the porch steps awhile.

* * *

Morgan took a deep breath before knocking at Winry's door; she was late by, like, two hours…

She winced when a wrench came hurdling from one of the upstairs windows and missed he by inches. "You're i late /i !" Winry yelled down, stressing the last word.

* * *

Kaytie still didn't have a plan. So far, her 'plan' consisted of going along with the Homunculi. She sighed; she was so in over her head.

Envy was with her at the moment; they took turns 'watching' her. It was usually him or Sloth. Once or twice it had been Lust. Kaytie figured they didn't trust Gluttony enough not to eat her. She still hadn't met anyone else.

"Envy?"

He turned to face her. "What?"

"Where are we?" Kaytie had been popping this question up ever since she's arrived, hoping to catch him off guard and answer.

"Can't tell," He answered.

_'Damn…'_ She thought. "Fine be that way."

"I will,"

"Are you bored?" Kaytie asked, she's just had a brain wave.

"Maybe," Envy answered. "Why?" He narrowed his eyes.

She crawled to the end of her bed, where Envy's chair was sitting. "Wanna play a game?" She tried (and failed) to look innocent.

"What do you have in mind?" He was suspicious, Kaytie could tell.

"It's called 'Truth or Dare,'" She said, hoping he'd agree.

"'Kay, I'll go first. How do you play?" He asked.

_'Yes! Point number one! Kaytie: 1 Spiky: 0, Ha! Take that you over grown Palm tree!'_ As Envy took mental abuse in Kaytie's mind, she calmly explained how to play. "You ask the person 'Truth or Dare?' and they pick one. If they pick Truth, you can ask them a question and they have to answer truthfully. If they pick Dare, you get to dare them to do something."

"Okay, Truth or Dare?"

"Truth," She smirked, easy as pie.

Envy couldn't think of a question. As he tried to bully his brain into thinking, he could see Kaytie getting impatient. "Why do you call me Spiky?"

"'Cause your hair reminds me of a palm tree, my turn, Truth or dare?" She snickered as a tick mark appeared on his forehead.

"Truth," He spat.

"Where are we?" _'Oh! Kaytie: 2 Spiky: 0'_

"Can't tell."

_'Damn,'_

_'Kaytie: 0 Envy: 100…'_

* * *

Winry had gotten out her photo album and she and Morgan were rifling through pictures.

"Aww! Look at this one!" Winry cooed.

The picture was of Morgan when she still had short hair. She looked to be about six. "I remember that!" She exclaimed. In the photo she was wearing a blue dress and a birthday hat. Winry'd snapped the picture herself. "Look at this one," Morgan said, turning the page and pointing to a picture of the four of them.

Winry had her arms around Morgan's neck and was suffocating her in a hug. Meanwhile, Morgan was struggling to escape out of her grip at the same time as doing 'The Bunny Ears' behind Ed's back. He was standing more toward the front wearing his goofy grin and Al was standing off to the other side of Winry smiling shyly toward the camera.

"That's cute," Winry said smiling.

"Yeah, I remember that too. You were seriously choking me." Morgan laughed. "I couldn't breath."

"Really sorry?"

"Little late now." Morgan said, flipping the page.

"Fine then, don't take my apology." Winry said, crossing her arms in mock anger.

They burst into laughter.

Morgan jumped when she heard someone pound on the door. "Hold on," Winry said, getting up to answer it.

"Winry, open up!"

Morgan smiled, she knew that voice! _'Finally,'_ She thought. She'd been waiting for Ed and Al to visit forever…okay, so it was more like three week, but it seemed like forever. _'Took them long enough.'_

Morgan grinned as Winry hurriedly opened the door.

Winry was worried. Surly Ed and Al didn't come all the way to Risembool _just _to visit her, he's never done it before. He obviously had a problem with his automail, but Morgan didn't know about it. She bit her lip. That might be a slight problem. How would she react?

Ed burst through the door to see Morgan smiling up at him from her spot on the floor. His face dropped and Morgan's eyes widened.

He had his red coat slung over his shoulder, having his black jacket showing. Morgan stared at his right, un-gloved hand. Shiny automail was peeking out from under his sleeve. Winry was silent, she saw Al standing behind Ed, missing an arm, an empty space inside.

"Ed," Morgan said in a strangely calm voice, the smile no longer on her face. "You never told me you have automail. What happened?"

"M-Morgan, I-I didn't know you were here…" He stuttered.

Morgan diverted her attention to Winry, who looked as though she was going to bite his head off. Morgan winced as she hit him repeatedly with her _'Wrench of Doom'_ they called it.

"You've been doing something dangerous again, haven't you?!" She smacked him. "What have I told you about breaking my precious automail?! **Huh?!** " One more good smack to the head, and Ed was unconscious. Morgan had seen that coming.

* * *

Sloth and Kaytie were playing Tic-Tac-Toe-- no, seriously.

This sentence turned over in Kaytie's head and she dimly registered how strange it sounded.

Over the weeks Sloth had 'watched' her about four or five times and Kaytie still couldn't shake the feeling she's seen her somewhere before.

Her green eyes snapped to Sloth's brown. She could swear….Nah!

* * *

Morgan had completely fainted when she's seen that there was nothing inside Al's armour. She was now lying on the couch and seemed unwilling to wake up.

Well, she was awake; she just didn't want to open her eyes. _'He doesn't have a body…'_ She thought. _'And Ed has automail,'_ Morgan was tempted to roll over but didn't want to move. _'When did this happen?'_ She could hear them talking; apparently Ed had regained consciousness.

"Winry, why didn't you warn me she was here?!" He asked, clearly agitated.

"If you called before coming, maybe I would have!" She snapped back. "Why didn't you tell her in Eastern?"

"I haven't seen her in seven years, Winry! Oh, good first impression, _'Hey, long time no see! By the way Al doesn't have a body and it's all my fault.'_ That's a conversation I wanna have."

"Brother! It was both our faults!"

Morgan decided to open her eyes. In one quick movement she sat up and pulled her knees to her chest, scaring the others.

Ed toppled backwards off his chair in shock and Winry gasped.

"Morgan, are you alright?" Al asked, worry lacing his voice.

"I-I'm fine," She swallowed the lump in her throat and rested her head on her knees. "Just a little dizzy."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Winry gesture to Al to follow her. "I have some spare automail parts for your arm, so that when I fix Ed's he'll be able to fix you." She said in a would-be casual voice. It sounded forced.

That just left her and Ed…..what now?

As he opened his mouth to speak, Morgan held up her hand to silence him. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." She said quickly.

Ed sighed, "Well, you might as well know now. Winry's right, I should have told you in Eastern. I know you were listening Morgan."

She tried to look innocent and failed.

Morgan stood and stretched. She sat back down on the couch. She looked at him seriously. "Okay, shoot."

* * *

Kaytie swung her red hair back out of her face and smirked. "Tic-Tac-Toe, three in a row!"

Sloth pouted and Kaytie's eyes widened in recognition. "I know where I've seen you now! You-you're King Bradley's secretary! He made me stand beside you at the inspection! Does he know? That there are Homunculi in the military, I mean? Obviously not or you wouldn't be there," She was more talking to herself rather that Sloth now.

"I've been waiting for you to recognize me- in one way or another." She smirked. "It took you long enough, what use are you to us if you can't do such a simple task?" Kaytie glared.


	7. Chapter 07

Authors' Notes:

Chibi-chan: We're back! And thatnk-you so much for the reviews guys! And for the question of how long it's going to be, we have absolutly no idea. All we know is that it's going to follow the anime starting Chapter 11. Sorry, but that's all we can tell you.

Jin's Lady: You're crazy.

Chibi-chan: Thank-you. Anyway, it's so sad. This chapter is depressing!

Jin's Lady: Shhhh! You're gonna give it away! Envy! Front and centre! You're doing the disclaimer today.

Envy: Whatever. Jin's Lady and Chibi-chan do not own FMA in any way shape or form. They do own Morgan and Kaytie. And they're also idiots.

Jin's Lady: Hey! That's not on the script!

* * *

Chapter 7: Innocence

_"Happy birthday Morgan!" Everyone chorused, as a six-year-old brunette flounced into the Rockbell's living room.Her hair had a sort of lack-lustre shine to it and hung just past her jaw line. Her chocolate eyes shimmered with delight; everyone was there! Her Mom and Dad were standing beside Auntie Pinako and Miss. Elric. Her three best friends, Winry, Ed and Al were there also and standing in front of the grown-ups. Even her cousin, Mikey, was there for the weekend, her Aunt Sylvia and Uncle Misko had dropped him off._

_Morgan ran up to the four and greeted them as if she hadn't seen them in years. Really, she's seen them only a few hours ago. "Happy birthday," A seven-year old Winry said, snapping a picture._

_Morgan twirled around, her blue dress billowing out around her._

_Ed pulled a wrapped box out from behind his back and thrust it toward Morgan. "Al and I made this for you." A light blush spread across Ed and Al's faces._

_Morgan's cheeks tinted pink as she slowly untied the ribbon. She took off the lid to find a rock that looked to be carved into the shape of a flower then painted. It was blue, her favourite colour. Hidden underneath was a hand made card._

_To: Morgan_

_Love: Ed & Al. _

_She blushed brighter._ Love: Ed and Al.

"_We made it with alchemy," Ed explained grinning. "Then painted it."_

_Morgan was still staring at the word_ _Love._ Love…Al. _The little brunette flushed brighter still at the thought. Ever since…forever! She'd liked Al._

_She stood up and hugged them both tight…Only to be dragged away by Mikey. He was giving the brothers a furious glare that plainly said 'Stay away from my cousin.'_

_"I have something for you too," Mikey said, releasing her from his grip and giving her a small package. She opened it and a set of blue hair clips fell out. "They're for when you grow your hair." He said matter-of-factly._

_Mikey was nine, a year older that Ed and Winry and two years older that Morgan and Al. He had massy brown hair and brown eyes. They could have mistaken Morgan and him for siblings; they looked so much alike._

_"Thank-you, Mikey." Morgan said politely. Ed knew better. As the person who knew Morgan best, he knew never to comment on her hair, ever. Nothing ever good came from it._

_"Oh! Me next!" Winry said excitedly. She stuffed a hand made card into Morgan's hand._

_"Ahhh! Winry, it's cute!" Winry had drawn a picture of herself and Morgan holding hands, Den sleeping at their feet. "Thank-you!" She hugged her friends and Mikey. Friends are family. "Guys, don't ever change."_

* * *

Morgan blinked and waited for Ed to start explaining. Not only was she curious as to why Al had no body and Ed only had one arm, but she was worried. What could have happened to them to make them keep it a secret from her? Yeah, they hadn't seen each other in seven years, but she had told them about loosing her memory didn't she?

Ed opened his moth then closed it again. He knew her reaction wasn't going to be good, something told him that. It might have been her fainting…..Where was Al when he needed him? He was better at this kind of stuff.

* * *

Winry and Al were crowded by the keyhole at the door to the living room. They couldn't hear anything…..But maybe Morgan and Ed were talking softly? Somehow, they doubted it. Morgan would not be quiet, or maybe she would. Having not known would probably make her just as angry about what Ed and Al had done.

* * *

"You know how I told you Mom died?" Ed asked, swallowing the lump that seemed to be constricting his throat.

Morgan nodded. "I, um I went to visit her."

He swallowed again. Why was this so hard? Winry knew, Auntie Pinako knew, every alchemist within the vicinity probably knew, heck, _Mustang_ even knew. "We, Al and I, we tried to bring her back." Ed whispered.

"……"

"……" The silence was killing him. "Say something," He said quietly. Morgan was looking at her lap, fiddling with a ring on her middle finger.

Tears pooled in her eyes. "Ed, if this is a joke, it's not funny." She choked out, really hoping against anything that it was a joke.

Human Transmutation, it was the biggest taboo in Alchemy! Life only flowed in one direction, there was a reason it was forbidden! How could they do this?

Morgan lifted herself off the couch and stood. Ed watched her nervously. Was he expecting to be hit? Maybe, Morgan certainly felt like hitting him.

The brunette folded her arms over her chest and walking to the other side of the room; she looked in the mirror that hung on the wall. Ed hadn't moved.

Morgan's reflection showed a paling girl who didn't look fourteen. Her brown hair hung limply past her shoulders and her brown eyes were watery with tears. They streamed down her face.

Why was she crying? _'Uh'_ She thought. _'Why do you always cry? You're such a baby,'_ She scolded herself. Crying twice in one day and both in front of people, well sort of, that had to be a record.

"Morgan?" Ed spoke out softly from behind her. He still hadn't moved. She didn't answer. "Please don't give me the silent treatment…."

Morgan kept her back turned to him so that he couldn't see her crying. She quickly made her way to the door. "I-" Her voice cracked. "I don't know, Ed. I don't know if I can trust you anymore…." She took a deep breath. Her stomach was turning over again, just like when she's woken up although Miguel wasn't there to hold her hair back if she were to vomit. Morgan reached a shaking had out and opened the door. "I just…" She trailed off and bolted out the door, slamming it behind her. It made her feel childish, like and eleven-year-old running away from something she was scared of; running back to the Krimskii's. Her breathing was ragged and her throat was sore. She pushed past Miguel who greeted her at the front and locked herself in her room.

* * *

"She hates me."

"She doesn't hate you, Ed." Winry said sympathetically. "She just……Overreacted." She was fixing his automail. A screw had come loose, now it was jammed and wouldn't move. "She'll get over it eventually. You just need to talk to her."

When Winry made the final adjustment, Ed stood, clapped, and pressed his hands to Al's armour. Blue alchemical light flashed.

* * *

_Kaytie drew a transmutation circle. Her shoulder-length red hair fell around her face and she pushed it back, hooking it behind her ears. She pressed her hands to the circle and a bright blue light flashed. There was a massed up sand sculpture of a dog in the middle of the circle; it only had one ear and three legs, its face was lopsided. Kaytie stood up and kicked it._

_She was quite far from home, not that her Mom actually i cared /i where her seven-year-old daughter was. Kaytie flopped back on the ground._

_"Stupid Morgan," She mumbled. From her position on the ground, she could see her s friend's /s i enemies /i white and blue house clearly, although she was sure they couldn't see her. "Stupid Morgan," she repeated._

_Kaytie narrowed her eyes as she watched Morgan, that little pipsqueak Ed, Al her only friend, and that little brat Winry run around the back of Morgan's house. There was also a kid who looked slightly older that her with them. If she didn't know better, she's think that him and Morgan were siblings, they looked do much alike._

_"Everyone else was invited, why not me?" She asked the grass._

_'Y**ou throw rocks at people……'** She answered herself._

_"So? I saw Ed pull her ponytail yesterday."_

_**'Hun, maybe you'd like it if someone threw rocks at you, but most people don't.'**_

_"Stupid voice," She picked the petals off a daisy one by one._ 'He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not…….he loves me not, how depressing.

_**'Who loves you not?'** The voice mocked._

_"None of your business."_

_**'Is it-'**_

_"You say it- think it- what ever and I'll kill you,"_

_**'But then you'd die.'**_

_"Shut up."_

_**'Make me'**_

_"Who are you anyway?"_

_**'I am you.'**_ _It said.**'Oh and talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity.'**_

_"Really?" Kaytie replied, sarcasm laced in her voice. "I hadn't noticed."_

_**'You know that voice you hear at night while you're trying to sleep? It goes,**"Kathryn, Kaytie, Kate! Do the right thing tomorrow, don't throw rocks at people!" **? That's me, I'm called your conscience' **_

_"……Shut up."_

* * *

Kaytie lay on her back in her dark room, fighting to stay awake. Although her room was always dark, she knew it must be late. She wondered; what was Morgan doing? _'Probably being tortured by Mother.'_

She snickered suddenly, making Envy glance at her weirdly. Morgan was probably stuck in what the family called the White Room. She laughed aloud.

_'Cabin fever.'_ She thought. _'I've been cooped up in here so long that I've finally cracked.'_ Kaytie had come to this conclusion for the cause of her abrupt and hopefully temporary insanity. That and the fact that she'd discovered that there was at least one homunculus in the military.

Ever since she'd figured out where she'd seen Sloth before, possibilities had been running though her head. She'd even toyed with the idea that Furher Bradley might be one, although she'd tossed this out the window as soon as it had entered her mind.

Laughter continued to bubble through her lips and was on the verge of being considered hysterical. Another question lurked in her subconscious; what had Sloth meant by _'….in one-way or another….'_? Then again, Kaytie disregarded this as a figure of speech and it too was tossed out the window every time her conscience brought it up. She simply had too much time on her hands.

Kaytie scrunched up her nose and tried to think of the date. September something… that meant her mother was going to start Yard Cleanup soon. She actually did feel sorry for Morgan now. Morgan was probably going to let her Mother walk all over her. She was too naïve and innocent for her own good.

Innocent……what did that mean anyway? Was she innocent? _'In a sense,'_ She answered herself. _'In the sense that I've never had sex.' _

However, that's not what she meant. The laughter died from her lips and Envy was watching her curiously. She meant in the sense of how a child is innocent. _'No,'_ She answered again. _'I haven't been innocent since I was twelve…… maybe even before that.'_

Kaytie rolled to her side. It was ironic in a way…….and in a way it was completely expected. The four of them Ed, Al, Kaytie, and Morgan all grew up in a small town, all had an infatuation with the Science of Alchemy and had all, at some point or another, moved to the city. Yet Morgan was the only one to keep her true innocence.

It was true Al had a sort of child-like innocence, which is where the irony came from, but he and Ed had seen the gate. And Kaytie had not only seen the gate but preformed the Forbidden on an almost daily basis.

She rolled over again. Then again, maybe Morgan had lost her innocence. She had a heavy responsibility of caring for her sister at such a young age and with the death of her parents happening right in front of her all of which happening while preparing for the State Exam. Then again, Ed and Al probably went through much worse.

Did that compare to doing the Forbidden? Probably not, or at least not in Kaytie books.

She sighed; as much as she hated the sun, Kaytie really wanted to see daylight again.


	8. Chapter 08

Authors' Notes:

Chibi-chan: Hi, we're back with another chapter!

Jin's Lady: The lucky character to do the disclamier today is...Miguel. Front and centre!

Miguel: Sheesh! Keep your pants on, I was giving Alicia a Bath. Okay, Jin's Lady and Chibi-chan do not own FullMetal Alchemist in anyway, shape or form. They do, however, own Morgan, Kaytie, Me, Alicia, and my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Krimskii. Oh and I just got scolded by Morgan for leaving Celina out. So they own her too.

Chibi-chan: You got that right!

Jin's Lady: Shut up Chibi-chan. Anyway, Enjoy the story and don't forget to read and review!

* * *

Chapter 8: Yard Work and Sunlight

"Morgan! Mrs. Krimskii screeched. A maniacal grin spread across her face as slow as honey. She knew that Morgan knew about that stupid pipsqueak and his idiotic brother. _'Best to keep her on her feet.'_ She thought.

It'd been a couple of days since Morgan had found out. She hated that she freaked out and ran, and she felt bad but….Human Transmutation! How could they do something like that? Every time she thought of it, the picture she saw in her mind made her sick to her stomach. She hurried over to her tormentor.

Mrs. Krimskii was talking. Morgan wasn't listening. Something about dishes, she did them. Her hands felt good in the soapy water, with the bubbles going past her wrists. _'From now on!'_ She thought, draining the sink and wiping down the counter. _'No more crying, whether people can see me or not!'_

She returned to sitting in front of Kaytie's old room. Miguel joined her. "What's up?"

Morgan shrugged. "The sky? The ceiling? The clouds?"

"Oh, hardy har-har, very funny." Miguel said sarcastically.

A smile tugged at the edges of Morgan's lips. "Okay, I have to ask you something. Why are you here? Like back in your Mom's house, it's obvious you're scared of her."

Miguel laughed. "Who isn't scared of my mother? But, well, I was married," He said becoming serious. "But my wife, she died. I thought maybe after the funeral, bringing Alicia to live with and meet my side of the family was a good idea. I will eventually move out though. I don't think I could handle living with Mother much longer."

Morgan nodded, so that's why he moved back home. She smiled and pushed all thought of forbidden alchemy and best friends to the back of her mind. "Are we gonna open Kaytie's door or what? I'm dying to know her secrets, she doesn't tell me anything."

He laughed again. "Has the curiosity finally got to you?" She nodded. "Ah we might as well. Maybe with two people we can actually open all twelve locks. But remember, curiosity killed the cat."

"It's a good thing we're not cats than, isn't it?"

* * *

Elizabeth Krimskii, Kaytie's mother, smiled. _'Lovely,'_ Things were going exactly as she wanted. Maybe she'd even have Kaytie back and living with her soon or maybe not. It depended on the way she chose to take.

In any case, Morgan and Miguel were _eventually_ going to figure out how to open Kaytie's door.

She giggled silently to herself as she took many clinking objects out of her pocket. Her hazel eyes narrowed as she examined the twelve different keys on the rusted ring.

* * *

"Ouch!" Kaytie was jerked awake by- the outline was blurred and she squinted- Envy. "Spikey, what the hell do you think you're doing? And again with the smirk!"

"Rise and shine princess, time to meet Pride."

"Pride? Who the fuck's Pride?" She asked, blinking and trying to get the room to stop spinning.

Envy turned so she could change. "You'd know if you hurried up." Kaytie could hear the annoyance in his voice.

"Fuck you,"

"You have a dirty mouth in the morning, you know that?"

"Bite me," She replied curtly, running her fingers through her long red hair.

Envy turned back around, a smirk still plastered across his face. "That could be arranged."

Kaytie gave him a look of deep disgust and felt her stomach do a back flip. "No thanks," She sneered. "I'll pass."

"Suit yourself."

Kaytie rolled her eyes as he dragged her toward the door. "Wait," She said suddenly. "Does this mean I actually get to leave the room?"

He smirked. _'Does he ever smile?'_ Kaytie wondered. _'Why do I even care again? Oh, yeah, I'm stuck with him practically twenty-four/seven.'_

"Yes, you _'Get to leave the room,'_" He mocked.

Kaytie hated when he did that. It made her feel stupid. Then she felt stupid for feeling stupid because she knew that was why he was mocking her in the first place. To make her feel stupid. She sighed and followed him.

The light in the hallway hurt her eyes after being in the dark for so long. She counted, almost three weeks. What did Roy think when he came back to find the apartment trashed? With all the blood? Kaytie laughed inwardly at the thought.

"What are you snickering at?" Envy asked, loosening his grip on her arm.

"Just thinking about what Colonel Mustang must have been thinking when he came back to our apartment. You know after The Incident? Oh, what I would have paid to see the look on his face…."

Envy smirked and shook his head, palm tree hair swaying.

* * *

"Oh, Morgan darling, I need you and Miguel!" Mrs. Krimskii called.

They set down the tools they'd been using in an attempt to pry the locks off Kaytie's door._ 'Lovely'_ Morgan thought. _'More work.'_

She followed Miguel down the stairs and outside to the backyard. Mrs. Krimskii was standing across the yard, next to a pond.

_'Wow,'_ Morgan realized. She'd never knew just how big the backyard was. She'd been there three weeks and she'd never been in the Krimskii's yard….that was just sad. Morgan sweatdropped.

She followed Miguel across the yard, wrinkling her nose at the mud. Morgan loved the rain, being the Aquatic Alchemist how could she not? She'd sat up last night watching the storm, but there was a point to draw the line on her love for water, she thought, staring at the pond.

It wasn't one of those ponds that make people say, _'Oh, look! It's so clear we could drink it!'_ The water didn't even look liquid, it was so murky. Leaves from the surrounding trees fell in showing the change from September to October and, Morgan thought, pouring salt on her tongue might be more appetizing than drinking or even touching that water. The pond defiantly wasn't on her side of the line; it went straight to the _'Is that going to give me ecoli?'_ side.

"Right you two," Mrs. Krimskii said. It's the end of September-" Miguel groaned, it seemed he knew what was coming. "And, Morgan, I know you don't know this, but at the end of September I always do Yard Clean-Up."

Morgan blinked, "Yard Clean-Up?"

Mrs. Krimskii nodded, "Yard Clean-Up." She repeated. She swept her hand behind her. "See those buckets, rakes, shovels, and dirt? I want you to spread the fresh soil over them to keep their roots warm, then rake the leaves, and bag them. After you've finished that, I want you to water the freshly covered trees with the pond water, that's what the white buckets are for. Enjoy!" Mrs. Krimskii followed the muddy trail back to the porch. "Oh, and I'm sending Alicia out to play later! That girl spends far too much time inside!"

Miguel groaned and Morgan raised an eyebrow. "Oh!" he said quickly. "Don't get me wrong. I love her, she's my little girl. It's just she's going to play in the mud." He sighed. "And she's already had her bath today too; I swear Mother does this purposely."

Morgan laughed. "I'll help you give her another bath later, if you want." She offered, bagging the first pile of leaves.

"Yeah, I suppose we'll have too." He agreed, patting the soil down on the first tree. They worked in silence for a couple of minutes before Miguel spoke again, "Are you also wondering whether the pond water's going to give us ecoli?"

* * *

Ed and Al stood at the foot of Trisha Elric's grave.

"Brother?"

"Yeah Al?" Ed asked, turning to his younger brother.

"You should talk to Morgan. It's been two whole days and it's not like her to give us the silent treatment. She must be really upset." Al answered quietly.

Ed sighed. "Can't you? She always liked you better." He whined.

"Ed! Don't say that, she was both our friends. Morgan liked us equally. Besides, I'm not doing your dirty work."

"Ah! Come on," Ed said, trying to persuade him. "You're better at this stuff." They were making their way back to Winry's. Al was silent.

His armour flashed in the sun and the breeze ruffled Ed's bangs. "Fine," Ed gave in. "I'll go tonight."

* * *

Kaytie was pushed into a small, brightly lit room, although it didn't have any windows. Envy followed, crossed his arms over his chest and leaned up against the wall, smirking.

There was no one else in the room. "Envy," Kaytie said coldly. She was twitching, that was never a good sign. "I want to know what the hell's going on. _Right now_."

"Sorry, I'm under orders to tell you nothing."

She closed her eyes and took a deep, a very deep, breath. She sat on the floor. Kaytie kept forgetting she was indirectly working for the homunculi; uh, if Morgan ever found out she might get more than the world's longest lecture, which Morgan would be able to give. Her lectures were very, very long. Kaytie shivered at the thought.

Being a double agent definitely wasn't what she'd planned to do with her life. _'Oh well,'_ she thought, bringing her knees to her chest and staring at the door, waiting for this _Pride_. _'Either A) I stay here, working for the Homunculi and the Military at the same time, wait for the Military to find out, be fired, lose Morgan as a friend and potentially be put in jail or B) When I get back, If I get back, I completely just tell them where I've been.'_ She glanced at Envy, that probably wouldn't go over well. Kaytie continued to wait impatiently for the door to open. "I miss Morgan," She said suddenly.

Envy glanced at her. "Who?"

"Morgan," Kaytie repeated. "You know, if you guys were watching me you should have seen her. Roommate, best friend, and such? Ring any bells?"

Envy snickered. "You mean the one with the mousy hair that always wears blue?"

"She does not have mousy hair." Kaytie glared. "But yes, she's the one who always wears blue."

He wrinkled his nose. "Why do you miss her? You always seemed so annoyed by her."

"How long were you watching me anyway?" She asked irritably. "I was annoyed because she's oblivious to everything. She probably doesn't even know I'm missing, not that Mustang would have told her in the first place though." Kaytie examined her nails then the scar of the transmutation circle she'd carved into her palm three weeks ago. It was scabbed over and itchy. "Besides that she's my best friend, how can I not love my best friend?"

Envy smirked again then snorted. "You? Capable of _love_? Yeah right, I didn't know it was possible."

_"'I didn't know you were capable of love,'"_ Kaytie said mockingly, her voice slightly higher than normal, and scrunching her face up. She scuffed. "Like you're one to talk. Screw **love**, I'd rather fall in chocolate."

* * *

Morgan sighed and slumped against the nearest tree. Dirt was smudged across her cheeks, forehead, and the little of her neck that was showing. Twigs, leaves, mud, and only god knew what else was scattered though her knotty hair, which was frizzed out, as if someone had rubbed a balloon overtop it. Mud splashed her blue shirt and practically showered her pants. "Are we done yet?"

Miguel propped himself up on the shovel and shook his head. "We still have to water the trees." The sun beat down on the back of his neck. _'Lovely,'_ He thought. _'Leave it up to Mother to send Alicia out when we're tired, sweaty and doing the hardest job yet.'_

Morgan had also caught sight of the four-year-old. She was clad in a bright yellow rain coat and rain hat that covered her black hair. Yellow rubber boot tread carefully along the muddy path to the tree Morgan and Miguel were standing by. "Why is she in a rain coat?" Morgan asked.

Miguel sighed and shrugged. "Prob'ly because of the mud, although it's not going to work."

"No?"

Miguel shook his head as he watched Alicia strip off her coat and hat. "Told you," He said. "Besides, it's too hot out for her to be wearing a coat and it's not even raining."

Morgan sighed and nodded, wiping the sweat off her forehead. "Right," She said. "Back to the Pond-of-Death."

"_'Pond-of Death'_?"

"Shhh! Aren't I allowed to be overdramatic sometimes?"

"I suppose so," Miguel said, carefully dipping one of the white buckets in to the sludgy water.

Mosquitoes buzzed around Morgan's ears as she followed suit, pouring her bucket of water on the nearest tree. She wondered dully whether the water wouldn't just kill the tree after all their trouble. "I have an idea," She gasped after the fourth round. "How about I fill the buckets and you take them to the trees? I can barely carry them, they're too heavy."

Miguel nodded, setting down his empty bucket. Morgan knelt in the grass, successfully covering her already-stained pants in mud, and dipped the bucket into the mucky water. She preformed this action repeatedly, her cheeks being bitten by mosquitoes and her knees sinking further and further into the mud.

She set down what seemed like the hundredth bucket and gasped when she looked up. "Ohmygod," She said, words running together.

Miguel turned to look and sweatdropped. "Yeah, you said it Morgan, oh my God." Alicia was sitting in the mud, with absolutely no clothes on. Lovely.

Morgan tried to hold back her laughter and Miguel just shook his head. "Can you finish? I'm gonna go fix this,"

Morgan nodded, tears of silent laughter slipping down her face.

"Daddy, Daddy! Look at me! Do you want a mud pie?" She splashed the mud and Morgan burst out in a fit of giggles. Ah, she so needed a laugh.

Miguel took her by the hand a smiled. "No thanks, sweetie. We're gonna go inside now though."

"Okay!" Alicia smiled as Miguel gathered her stuff then picked her up. "We're gonna get you cleaned up, then you can have a treat for being so good while Morgan and I were working."

Morgan covered her ears as Alicia screamed, **"No bath! No bath! No bath!"** Her eyes were wide with tears.

_Celina's blonde hair was caked with mud and her pink dress was ripped at the hem. Her blue eyes danced with light as she made her last mud pie. An eight-year-old Morgan sat on the wooded swing that was in their back yard watching her sister dully. "You know when Mom sees you she's gonna freak."_

_The blonde-haired blue-eyed two-year-old stuck her tongue out at her older sister._

_"Come on," Morgan said, hoisting herself off the swing and moving_ _to pick up Celina, covering her dark blue sweatpants with mud in the process. "Bath time."_

_Celina's eyes were wide and they filled with tears as she screamed at the top of her lungs._

_"Shhh! You troublesome child!" Their mother had scolded as they entered through the back door. "You'll disturb all of Eastern!"_

Morgan sighed; she'd been getting flashbacks like this ever since she babysat Alicia that one time. As grateful as she was to be getting the specific memories back, she wished they'd stop making her feel so dizzy.


	9. Chapter 09

Authors' Notes:

Jin's Lady: Hello and welcome to Chapter 9 of Life, Love, Lost. We hope you enjoy the experience of readin-

Chibi-chan: Jin's Lady, get off the crack. Mrs. Krimskii, your turn for the disclaimer today.

Mrs. Krimskii: Well, Jin's Lady and Chibi-chan do not own anything about the short pipsqueak or anything about the show and such. They do however own, Morgan, Kaytie and Miguel... and my husband. They do not own me, I own myself.

Chibi-chan: Pushing Out of the Way No seriously, ignore her (well except about the disclaimer part; We're poor don't sue us!) We really do own her...Really! She's just stupid and in denial.

Somewhere Off In The Distance: **I am not short!! **

Chibi-chan: Please Read and Review!

Chapter 9: Pride 

Roy Mustang was sitting at his desk, head in his hands, Kaytie Krimskii's file open on his desk.

When he'd arrived back to his shared apartment a little under three weeks ago, he found what looked like a murder scene and no Kaytie to be anywhere. The door and the couch were missing completely; there were drops of blood on the counter and sink in the kitchen; a splash of blood all over the carpet in the living room with a lamp shattered beside it and a window broken behind where the couch used to be.

Roy couldn't help but feel it was his fault, if he hadn't woken Kaytie up by building that stupid card house she'd still be here to bug him. _'What if- no! Can't think like that!'_

_"There are no 'What Ifs', idiot, or 'What Might Have Beens'. It's a waste of time."_ It was something Kaytie said all the time, and she was right. What was the use of him worrying about it? The military was working hard to find her and that's what she should be putting his effort toward. Besides, for all he knew, it could just be some stupid joke. It was something Kaytie would do.

He sighed; Kaytie was so young. Only fifteen and yet she was one of their top State Alchemists. He sighed again.

* * *

Kaytie sat back on the floor, out of breath; she'd just finished a yelling match with the stupid, idiotic, umbrella-shaped palm tree. "Is it this _Pride's_ intention to keep us waiting forever?" She snapped.

**Chibi-chan: OMG! 100 pages on paper! I'm so proud of us**

Envy sneered at her from across the room. "How should I know?"

Tears of frustration brimmed Kaytie's eyes and she punched the wall, flaming hair whipping around her shoulders and body. She slid to her knees, her back to Envy, and rested her forehead against the wall.

"Well, well," A curt voice cut through the room and made the red-head jolt back to her feet. She gasped as it rang out again, "Biohazardous, how I've missed you since the inspection." Kaytie knew that voice! She'd recognize that sarcastic edge anywhere.

She gulped and slowly turned on the spot, could it be? "Furhrer Bradley!" Sloth was behind him. "They're Homunculi! Your secretary too! They're trying to get me to make the Philosophers Stone!" Kaytie tried to scramble over to him but she fell.

She propped herself up on her elbows only to notice they were both bleeding; she'd grazed them on the concrete floor. Kaytie glanced back at her feet and scowled at Envy- he'd tripped her! "You retard!" She glared at his smirk, once again wishing she could rip it off his face.

"Sir I'm not lying," She repeated firmly to Furhrer Bradley, who was still strangely smiling. "They kidnapped me," He was laughing. "Sir, I'm serious!"

"Hey princess," Envy sneered. "I don't know if this thought ever occurred to you but _'Furhrer Bradley'_ is one of us. Kaytie Krimskii, meet Pride."

* * *

Morgan sighed; Miguel had gone inside to get Alicia cleaned up and had left her outside in the heat, mud and with a swamp. She fanned herself with her hand, "Oh my, it's October, it shouldn't be this hot out," She said.

Combing her fingers through her hair, she put it up in a ponytail to keep it from her face. "Okay," Morgan said to herself, brushing her bangs from her eyes. "Morgan, you can do this! You only have five trees left to water!"

A determined expression on the brunette's face, she sunk the white buckets into the water one after the other, and hoisted them up at the same time. "okay…very, very… i heavy/i " Morgan gasped, staggering over to the nearest un-watered tree. She successfully poured one over the first half of the tree trunk, but dropped the second, splashing herself with mud. "Ew… ecoli water…."

She did this two more times, then collapsed on the grass by the pond. Her arms felt like linguini, her clothes and hair were caked with mud and she had three new mosquito bites- two on her left cheek and one on the right side of her neck. _And_ she still had two more trees to do. Morgan had come to the conclusion that her life sucked. A lot. Her hair was sticking to her face again.

She pulled it away, sighed again, and bent down to scoop more 'water'. As she was lifting the buckets up, her foot caught on a root, and she gasped. Morgan squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for a face full of mud, except someone caught her.

* * *

Kaytie blinked and it took her a minute to register the information….she was right the first time! Wait Envy_ must_ have been joking. "Ha, ha, ha, very funny Envy. As if Furhrer Bradley would be a homunculi….right?" Furhrer Bradley was still laughing. "What?! **Excuse me?!**" Kaytie asked , her voice rising so that it echoed. "_'Meet Pride,'_ you said, Envy, you're a lying bastard. I've already met _'Pride'_, several times actually!" Kaytie's stomach churned with disgust, both at herself and at Envy and 'Pride' but mostly at herself. She let her guard down and what do you know? He tricked her. She _knew_ this would happen. This was why she trusted so few people; Morgan, Roy, Riza, Al and that was it.

"I understand that you've agreed to help us in everyway that you can, is that correct?" Furhrer Bradley, no _Pride_ cut into her thoughts.

Kaytie nodded dumbly, then in a sudden afterthought added, "I won't, _won't_, create a philosopher's stone."

Pride nodded curtly. "That is understood as well." He responded. "However, we do expect you to try in every which way to help us in finding it or finding another way to create it, and using it." She hesitated before nodding again.

"Biohazardous, you're a talented alchemist, I expect you to work here as well as in the office in Eastern. Tell Flame, Colonel Mustang, that you were researching the assignment I gave you before you came here; that is why I gave it to you it was meant to cover where you really are. The trashed apartment I didn't count on, you'll have to make up a story yourself for that one."

_'I knew it! I knew that stupid, retarded, idiotic assignment had something to do with this! _**"Research failed attempts at Human Transmutation…Directly assigned from King Bradley…"** Kaytie thought darkly; how she hated Roy.

"Okay," Kaytie said, trying to wrap her head around all of this information. "Let me get this straight. Furhrer Bradley is Pride, Sloth is your secretary, there are two homunculi working at the top of the military- oh my, we're so corrupt- and I have no choice but to work for you. Is that what you're saying? Well," She continued. "What do you want me to do?"

* * *

Arms covered with red sleeves and hands gloved in white were wrapped around Morgan's shoulders. She was flat on her back on top of a certain alchemist. The brunette twitched, her buckets looked like white islands floating in the middle of the pond and Ed had saved her from potentially drowning. _'Oh yes,'_ she thought. _'My life sucks.'_ She tore out of his grip and stood up. "What are you doing here?!"

"Um...That seems pretty obvious to me, I just saved you! A thank-you might be nice!" Ed replied, getting to his feet.

"Well, don't expect any! I don't feel like talking to you, go away." Morgan knelt by the pond and tried, failing miserably, to grab the buckets, which were now floating extremely out of reach. Ed pulled her away from the pond by her collar.

"I don't need you drowning. It'd be on my conscience." He stated, pulling her to her feet.

Morgan sneered sarcastically, "Oh, how very generous, but unlike you, I can swim." She lifted her foot and kicked him into the swamp...er...pond. The brunette rolled her eyes as she watched him splash around. "Try standing," She said coldly. "Even you're not _that_ short."

"**Who are you calling so short that a germ considers him a speck of dust?!"**

"Hmmm..." Morgan replied, pretending to think. "That'd be you. Oh and look, you're standing." She walked over to the edge of the nicknamed _'Pond-of-Death'_ The disgusting water reached only slightly above Ed's waist. "And what do you know? You aren't drowning."

Ed spat out a mouth full of dirty water, "Morgan, just listen, would you?!"

"No! Get out! If you don' leave, FullMetal, I'll tell Mustang that... I don't know, but I'll tell him something! And it'll be bad!"

"FullMetal? Since when are we formal Aquatic? Oh, and Morgan, you were never good at lying."

Morgan flinched at her State name then scowled at him. "Screw off FullMet-" Ed grabbed her ankles and pulled her into the water. The brunette took in several swallows of swamp before surfacing, spitting, and gasping for air. "Great," She said sarcastically. "This solves everything, now we're both covered in mud. Good going, Ed."

"You pushed me first!"

"Only because you were being a jerk!"

"How?! By asking to talk?!"

"Yes!"

"...Are we interrupting something?"

Both Ed and Morgan turned to see Miguel, Alicia, and Mr and Mrs. Krimskii standing watching them. "..."

"..."

"..."

Morgan climbed out of the pond and gave Ed the dirtiest look she could. "We were arguing, what's the big deal? Mrs. Krimskii, I'm done the trees so I'm going to take a shower alright? Ed, leave, I don't want to talk."

The short brunette entered the house through the porch door, trying her best not to slam it behind her.

A sudden down-pour of rain in a what used-to-be sunny sky drenched the Krimskiis and Ed. Mrs. Krimskii rolled her eyes at Miguel and her husband for not asking an apparently obvious question. "Will you be staying the night, then?"

"No."

"Oh but you must, if you want to reconcile with your dear Morgan! Besides," Mrs. Krimskii continued. "The bunions on my feet are acting up; the means it's going to storm." As if on cue, lightning struck the sky and was followed by a clap of thunder.

"See?" Mr. Krimskii added as Miguel shook his head in the background. Mr. Krimskii sighed and it looked to Ed as if his wife was forcing him to do this. Mostly because she was glaring at him. "My wife is never wrong." He continued.

Ed scrunched up his face at the sound of Mrs. Krimskii's bunions ands rung the mud out of his red coat. "I don't care, Winry's isn't that far." He said.

Mrs. Krimskii grabbed him by the collar the same way he had done to Morgan. "I won't hear of it, now get inside, and call your friend and brother to tell them you're staying. Then I want you to take a shower, you're filthy." Ed hated her sickeningly sweet smile.

* * *

Kaytie and Envy walked back to _'The Dark Room'_, as Kaytie had dubbed it, in silence.

Kaytie was embarrassed about being taken advantage of; a dark ashamed blush stained her cheeks. She sighed quietly and reflected, ever since she was 'kidnapped' she'd been a lot more embarrassed then before. She hated being embarrassed.

Envy glanced at her, glanced away, and then glanced back. Her face was scarlet- ugh, if she got sick, they'd make him _'take care'_ of her. How troublesome. "Are you okay? Your face is all red..."

"I'm fine," Kaytie said coldly, turning her head to look at the ground; the stain on her face just got darker. She sighed and put her hair up in a messy bun, a few strands hanging around her at random. Kaytie barged into 'her' room first, angry with herself, Envy, and Furhr- _Pride_, but mostly at herself.

**_"You're all red Kaytie."_** Her conscience taunted.

_'No shit Sherlock,'_ It'd been a while since she had a conversation with what she called her conscience. _'I'm embarrassed.'_

**_"Wow, didn't know you still had that emotion. The question is why are you embarrassed?"_**

Kaytie sighed, making Envy glance at her from across the room, _'I let them use me, well they're still using me, but that's not the point. I let Envy make a fool out of me again, but this time in front of people.'_

**_"That's not the whole story..."_** Her conscience rang out inside her head in a singsong voice. **_"I think you're embarrassed because-"_**

Kaytie sat bolt right up from where she'd been laying on 'her' bed. "Don't you i _dare_ think that!" She scolded herself.

Envy stared at her, "You're insane, I hope you know this."

"Yeah, well at least I'm human."

* * *

Ah, Morgan felt clean again. She shut the shower off, dried herself off, and dressed in a pair of play clothes that she still fit into from when she was little. She was planning to use them as pyjamas. She figured no one was going to see her other than the Krimskiis, so she might as well dress crappy. The brunette shook her head; she probably stained a perfectly good outfit with all the mud. _'Oh well, nothing a little alchemy can't fix.'_

Morgan brushed out her dull hair and gathered it at the top of her head to put into a ponytail, random strands fell to her shoulders. She was wearing a baggy light blue t-shirt and baggy navy blue sweat pants- really, Morgan was surprised they still fit her and they were still baggy.

Morgan dumped her muddy clothes and towel into the hamper next to the sink. A light-headed feeling came over her and she gripped the counter, waiting for it to pass as she listed to the pitter-patter of the rain hitting the roof. Morgan half-expected a memory but the dizzy feeling passed as quick as it came.

Morgan shook herself to rid the feeling then opened the door and- "Ah!" She was gripping the towel rack for support and shaking all over. "What the hell are you still doing here?!" The FullMetal Alchemist- Edward Elric- was standing, covered head to toe in mud, in front of the bathroom door.

"Trust me, I'd rather be at Winry's with Al, but he made me come to apologize and now your _'Master'_ is making me stay to _'Wait out the storm'_. He said. "Get out of the way so I can take a shower."

Morgan scowled at him before leaving. Ed heard her yell, "Mrs. Krimskii, may I please have a word with you?" before he closed the door. Why did that girl have to be so stubborn?

* * *

Mrs. Krimskii completely put her foot down on the 'Ed Stays' thing. Morgan glared at Kaytie's door.

Miguel sat beside her and ruffled her hair. She glared at him. "Someone's not in a good mood."

"Well, y'know what? I'm tired." She answered, not being able to come up with a comeback. "We have a thing for meeting at this door, don't we?"

"I guess," Miguel admitted.

Morgan stood and placed her hands on her hips, "Call me nosey, but I really want to find out why Kaytie's door is, like, burnt. Ah, I'm so tired." She went to rest her head against the door but ended up banging it a little harder than she intended. She instantly felt a sharp stab of pain followed by both of them hearing an audible _Click!_

"Ow, ow, ow, ow..." Morgan moaned in pain, clutching the side of her head.

"Morgan,"

"Owwww..."

"Morgan!" Miguel said more urgently.

"What?!" She snapped, turning to face him. "Oh my gosh! We got a lock off!" Morgan cried, her stinging head forgotten as she did a victory dance.

"Only eleven more to go!" Miguel said happily, hugging her.

A loud laughing cut through theirs as Mrs. Krimskii watched them, her hazel eyes glittering. "Is this what you two were trying to do all this time? You could have just asked me; I have all the keys." Oh, Morgan, Edward's sleeping so you'll have to make up tomorrow."

As if Morgan cared about Ed, she was more concerned about the key ring in Mrs. Krimskii's hand. All their work would have gone into the moment Mrs. Krimskii would open the door. "Wait," Miguel said suddenly. "You had the keys this entire time?"

_Click,_

_Click,_

_Click,_

_Click,_

_Click,_

_Click,_

_Click,_

_Click,_

_Click,_

_Click,_

_Click!_

Eleven Click!s sounded and the Charred, blackened door swung open. Morgan and Miguel gasped.

* * *

Envy flicked on the light and _'The Dark Room'_ was no longer dark.

"There was a light in here the entire time?!" Kaytie practically screeched. So she had her eyes permanently adjust to the dark for nothing, no big deal, right? Wrong! She hated not being able to see. Arg...

The redhead had her first real look at the room. It was lighter. A lot lighter but other than that, it looked exactly the same.

She did notice one thing different; there was a window. "There was a window here the entire time and I didn't notice? _What is wrong with me?!_" The window was covered with the most hideous brown drapes Kaytie had ever seen.

She quickly walked over too them and ripped them apart. A wave of heat washed over her face and she could practically _hear_ Envy smirking. Her eyes rested on a desert town.

"Where are we?" Kaytie asked for the millionth and final time as Envy came and stood beside her, leaning on the windowsill.

"Lior." He answered.


	10. Chapter 10

Authors' Notes:

Chibi-chan: Hello! We're back again! This is the last chapter before this story jumps into the anime, just thought you might like to know that. And also thank-you to anyone that reviewed for chapter 8 and 9!

Jin's Lady: Yeah yeah... Whatever, let's skip the chit-chat. Mrs. Krimskii will you do us the honour of the disclaimer? Mrs. Krimskii: Sure! I'd like to thank our audience, and Mr. Krimskii and of course my darling son Miguel...

Chibi-chan & Jin's Lady: Sweatdrop

Jin's Lady: Okay, ignore her. Mr. Krimskii can you do an actual disclamer please?

Mr. Krimskii: First I'd like to apologise for my wife, she a few bricks short of a load if you know what I mean...

Mrs. Krimskii: **I heard that!**

Mr. Krimskii: Ahem Yes, well, Jin's Lady and Chibi-chan do not own any part of FullMetal Alchemist, however they do own Morgan, Miguel, Kaytie, Me and my wife, Alicia, and Celina.

Chibi-chan: Wow, you're the first person in a while to not need a script...

Jin's Lady: Whatever. Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 10: The Door Opens: Kaytie's Room

The phone rang at Eastern Headquarters and Riza Hawkeye answered it. "Hello?"

She heard someone take a deep breath on the other end, "Riza?"

Riza gasped, "Kaytie! Where have you been?! Everyone's been worried sick about you. We have people looking for you!"

Kaytie sighed, "Long story short- I'm working on my research assignment. So, I heard someone broke into my and Roy's apartment a few weeks ago, eh?"

"Assignment? Oh! Broke into, it looked like a murder scene!" Riza said, twirling the phone cord around her finger. "How did you know anyway?"

"Er...really? Anyway, I really need to talk to the Colonel so could you get him for me?" Kaytie asked, her voice sounded like it was cracking.

"Hold on, give me a minute." Riza set the phone down calmly on the desk and tried her best not to run straight into Roy. "Sir, Kaytie's on the phone." She said, not bothering to use Kaytie's State Name or even to knock before entering his office. "She'd like to speak with you."

Roy rushed to the phone, "Kaytie?!"

"Colonel Mustang, **don't yell in my ear!"**

"Where have you been? I came home to find the door missing and blood all over the apartment!"

"Yeah," Kaytie answered casually. "I heard someone broke in. I'm fine; by the way, I'm off working on the research assignment- you know the one Furhrer Bradley assigned?"

Roy let out a deep breath he didn't know he's been holding. He was expecting something more along the lines of _"Oh my gosh! I'm being held against my will! Roy save me!"_ He sighed. "Broke into?! How did you even know if you're off in- where the hell are you anyway?"

"...I have my sources... And I can't tell you where I am."

"Whatever, I want you beck here immediately. Forget the assignme-"

"No can do, Flamey. I have orders from the Furhrer not to call it off for any reason; I just called to tell you to lay off the search considering I'm perfectly fine and such."

"Fine, I want you to call me once a week until you get back- do you understand?- that's an order!"

"Why? You miss me, Flamey?"

As much as it pained Roy to admit it, he did miss her. He sighed. "Don't call me that. Just follow your orders, alright? And stay out of trouble,"

"Will do," She answered. "Bye, Flamey!"

"I said don't call me that!" There was beeping on the phone- she'd hung up.

* * *

Kaytie hung up the phone. "They're so gullible." She laughed. 

Envy rolled his eyes, "Tell me about it."

"I could, actually. But you promised that if I called Roy and fed him that idiotic lie, you'd tell me about Lior." She replied, falling into step beside him.

"What if I said I lied?" He asked, smirking.

"I'd hurt you." Kaytie said coldly.

"Good luck with that." He scoffed.

Kaytie pouted. "Why are you being so mean? You can tell me now so why won't you? I mean, it's not like you're under orders anymo-"

"Fine, just shut up, would you?" He cut her off. "We're in a desert, as you can tell- if you can't well then I really don't see the use in you helping us- and we're close to Ishbal. There are you happy now?" They entered Kaytie's official new room.

"Close to Ishbal, eh?" Kaytie mused. "So, why are we here?" Somehow, she knew she wasn't going to get the whole story on this one.

"Well, I can't tell you everything, but basically, we're manipulating the false prophet Cornello. He's all for worshiping the Sun God Leto, except he's a total fake." Envy said, leaning back in his chair and flashing Kaytie his famous smirk.

"Right, and why does everyone believe him then?" She asked, walking over to lean out the window.

"And that's the part that I can't tell you until you meet Danté." Envy sighed and got up to lean against the window by Kaytie.

She turned away and sighed; she was _so_ in over her head. She crossed her arms over her chest. "So, can you at least tell me why we're manipulating him and how?"

"It'll come in time but, in short, we want him to cause a little chaos."

"...I see."

* * *

Ed opened his eyes groggily; someone was shaking him. _"Wuzzamatta?"_ He asked, slurring his words together. He sat up, hair sticking up at odd angles, eyes resting on the little girl Kaytie's brother was carrying earlier. "Why'd you wake me up?" 

"Shhh! My daddy doesn't know! He thinks I'm sleeping! My name's Alicia, what's yours?" she chirped.

"Er...Ed." He answered. What the hell?! First, he's forced to stay at the Krimskii's then he can't even get a peaceful night's sleep?! "Why'd you wake me up?" He asked again, quieter this time. Ed's eyes softened; Alicia reminded him of Nina. She smiled innocently and grabbed his hand, dragging him out of bed. "Hey-hey-!" Ed stuttered. He was definatly glad he slept in his clothes. "Where are we going?"

"Shhh!" The blue-eyed, black-haired girl scolded, putting a finger to her lips. "Miss. Morgan and Daddy opened Auntie Kaytie's door! They've been working on it _forever_!" She dragged him down the stairs to the second floor. "Miss. Morgan finally got a lock off then Grandma opened it for them. You should _see_ the door. It's all black!"

_'Black?'_ That peaked Ed's interest. He retied his braid as Alicia lead him down the hallway silently.

"...What do you figure?" He heard Morgan ask.

Alicia put her finger to her lips again, motioning for Ed to stay quiet. So they were _spying_, were they? That was something he was good at; he saw Kaytie's brother- Miguel was it? - shrug as he and Alicia crouched by the wall, almost out of sight.

* * *

Morgan and Miguel gasped as Kaytie's door swung open. 

"..."

"..."

Silence.

"...What do you figure?" Morgan asked in a weird voice.

"...She burned her entire room..." Miguel said strangely.

Kaytie's former room looked like someone had set fire to it, which Morgan reminded herself, is probably what Kaytie did. As she slowly stepped into the room, she half expected the floor to crumble into ashes. The bed and covers were full of scorch marks, the dresser was in pieces and half of the pieces were nothing but cinders, and the window, minus having burnt holes in the drapes, was boarded off by cardboard. "What do we do now?" She asked, looking toward Miguel.

"Er..." He heard the floor creak behind him and turned to look but saw nothing. Raising an eyebrow at the apparent nothing, he turned back, smiling. "Well, we have a few choices. One: We clean but I think we've both had us enough cleaning to last a lifetime." Morgan nodded vigorously in agreement. "Two: We look around and snoop through what's here, which is nothing, or Three: We decide that Kaytie's a dork and hit the hay. I think I'm gonna go for the last one. Morgan, I'm sorry but I'm dead beat from working outside today so, yeah. Wanting to find out what goes on in my sisters head comes second to sleep."

Morgan sighed in disappointment. "'Kay, I'm gonna stay here." She rolled her eyes. Kaytie was a sleep fanatic, like sister like brother, she guessed.

"I thought you might." Miguel said, yawning. "Don't stay up too late, you're probably gonna have to get up early tomorrow. It's already midnight." Morgan nodded and he left.

* * *

Miguel shook his head at what he saw as he rounded the corner, heading back to his room. "Alicia, did you wake Ed up?" 

"...I love you Daddy!"

"Edward?" He was sleeping as he sat by the wall with Alicia. Miguel nudged him with his toe.

"I'm up!" He said, his eyes snapping open. "...Hi?"

Miguel chuckled soft enough for Morgan not to hear. "Alicia, I believe it's past your bedtime, isn't it?" She set her eyes on the ground and let him pick her up. "Edward, I suggest that you use this time to apologise or explain or whatever to Morgan."

Ed nodded and stood up. "Right..."

* * *

The brunette scanned the room again and then spotted a closet. "Bingo," Hearing the floor creak from outside the door, she wheeled around to check but saw nothing. 

She set her hands on her hips and turned back to the closet. Kaytie was way beyond creepy.

Morgan grabbed the closet doorknob and tried to pull it open but it was as if someone had bolted it shut. She frowned. Wiping her sweaty palms on her blue track pants, she grasped the knob with both hands and pulled. She gasped; Morgan was able to pull the door open but when it swung forward, she stumbled back. Her back hit the broken dresser and she was knocked forward, sending her flying into the blackened hardwood floor.

Morgan rolled over and heard another creak from the door, accompanied with a sharp gasp of shock. She checked gain and saw nothing again. Kaytie's room was haunted, that's all there was to it. Morgan ignored it as she slowly sat up and winced. _'I'm gonna be black and blue tomorrow'_ She thought.

On the bright side, she got the closet open... and there were actually clothes in it? Morgan crawled over and stood up, "Owww..." The brunette shook the felling off and surveyed the clothes.

She sweatdropped...they were all dresses. She took the first hanger off the bar, just out of pure curiosity but the second it brushed against the door, it fell from the hanger and crumbled into a pile of ashes. Morgan closed her eyes and shook her head, sweatdropping again. She hung the hanger back on the bar, turned back around, and closed the closet door with her foot.

Her eyes widened slightly as her gaze dropped to the spot on the floor where she fell. She smirked; the brunette should have known that Kaytie wouldn't leave anything out in the open. A floorboard had come loose and Morgan spotted about six books peaking out from underneath.

Dropping to her knees, Morgan pried the loose floorboard off and pulled out the stack. Three were textbooks that had to do with alchemy- no surprise there. Kaytie was infatuated with it since she learned the word and Morgan understood perfectly well, why she'd have to hide it in this house. That reminded her, did Mrs. Krimskii know Morgan was a State Alchemist yet?

The next book she picked up was green and bore the words _'Diary 1908-1909'_ Morgan raised an eyebrow. Definatly not something she would have expected from her best friend. The only time Kaytie and Diary were ever in the same sentence would be if someone said: _"Kaytie read my diary!"_

The second book was red...with _sparkles? 'Diary 1909-1910'_

The third was also a diary and had the words _'Diary 1910-1912'_ written across the front. It was black, leather-bound, and heavy.

She picked up the green and opened it. And sweatdropped. The only thing inside was the manes of her dead cats. She really wasn't lying When she'd told Morgan that her mother had killed them, Morgan had seen their graves when she was watering the trees. That reminded her, Kaytie was currently looking after Whitey and Blacky. She snapped the book shut and checked the others but they were the same. Morgan scoffed; the stupid girl had written her diaries in code. How typical of her.

She sighed and stood, swaying on the spot. _'Dizzy spell...'_ She thought, tiredly. Closing her eyes and waiting for it to pass, she heard the door click shut. She snapped her eyes open, startled, then as soon as she saw who it was, glared. It was Ed. Didn't he know when to give up?

"What are you doing?" She asked coldly. She felt extremely cornered.

"We need to talk and whether I'm doing all the talking and you're pretending not to listen doesn't matter." The blond said.

Morgan narrowed her eyes. "So you plan to force me to listen to you FullMetal?"

"That's the plan, Aquatic."

Morgan shook her head and made her way toward the door. "Sorry, talking isn't an option right now. I've had a bad day so just leave me alone, would you?"

"Sorry Morgan, but talking is the only option for you at the moment." He turned, clapped, and pressed his hands to the door. Blue light flashed and Morgan knew what to expect when she opened her eyes. The door had become part of the wall. All she could do was sigh and try her best to avoid the fact that he didn't use a transmutation circle.

One last try on getting out of this, she guessed. "I'm a State Alchemist too, you know. Did you forget that I can do _almost_ everything you can do?" Morgan was suddenly aware of how pathetic she was; she was standing in front of _The FullMetal Alchemist_ with her hair frizzed out from letting it air-dry and in her old play clothes that she still fit into from when she was a child, saying that she was almost as good as him. _Yeah right_. She knew the only reason she made it was because it was a bad turn out and they thought they'd give her a chance because of how skilled her parents were. She decided to keep the bluff going anyway, besides, she could at least transmute the wall back to a door, she wasn't _that_ bad. "I'll just transmute it back." She said turning her back to him.

"Without any chalk?" She stopped on the spot. "Or your gloves?"

Morgan hesitated. "Fine," She said, defeated. "We'll talk." She walked over and sank into the scorched bed. "Well, what are you waiting for? I don't have all night!" She pulled her frizzy hair into a ponytail.

Ed sank down opposite her and opened his mouth to explain but she cut him off.

"Why did you lie to me?"

"Huh?" Was his _very_ intelligent answer. It wasn't exactly what he'd been expecting. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Morgan said, hugging her knees to her chest, feeling extremely uncomfortable. "You didn't exactly _lie_, but you didn't tell me that...that...you know! I told you I lost my memory! Well, sort of lost my memory but still! I told you."

"I hadn't seen you in seven years, Morgan! I honestly didn't think I'd ever see you again when you came here. You'd think Roy would have gotten you an assignment by now but he's busy with Kaytie or was- I don't know! Al and I were afraid you'd react like exactly like you are." Ed explained.

Morgan averted her gaze to the blanket. It was blue. Blue always seemed to calm her down. She took several deep breaths; not being good with confrontation really had it's downsides. That's why she was avoiding him before, she was absolutely pathetic at it.

She took a stab anyway. "Look at what happened to you! To Al! The adorable boy I used to like is now a hollow suit of armour!" Morgan said. She blushed slightly when she realized what she admitted.

"Thanks for pointing that out, Morgan. I really needed reminding abou- Wait; did you say that you used to like my brother?" Ed blushed slightly remembering how he'd kissed her cheek before she moved away. _'Oh well, it's not like it matters now.'_ He decided to continue. "Morgan, we're paying for what we did, believe me." He said, looking down and clenching his automail hand. "You knew our mom; you said that you went to visit her grave! She was... the best. We just wanted to see her smile again but the thing we brought back wasn't even human." He said harshly. "It-it was a monster."

Another reason she hated confrontation was that, no matter what, she could not hold a grudge. She once got into it pretty bad with Kaytie and locked herself in her room for a couple hours. After calming herself down and letting Morgan calm down, Kaytie practically broke down the door and demanded that they talk. Well, it ended in a night with comfort food and _'chick talk'_ as Roy called it. She could feel her outside wall breaking already and didn't trust her voice not to shake so she stayed silent, playing with a loose thread on the blanket.

"I'm going to make this right, Morgan." Ed continued. "I'm going to get Al's body back-"

Morgan swallowed. "What about your arm?"

"...And leg." Ed sighed. "In order to attach Al's soul to the armour, I gave up my arm but Equivalent Exchange originally took my left leg." He pulled the leg of his pants up just high enough for Morgan to see shiny metal. "I'll get them back if I can but that comes second to getting Al his body back."

"And your plan to do this is...?"

He sighed, "We're looking for something called the Philosopher's Stone."

"...I thought that was just a myth?"

"Well, we're looking for it."

There was silence between them, not comfortable but not awkward or uncomfortable either. It was just silence.

Morgan's head shot up. "Take me with you." She said suddenly.

"What?! No! Are you out of your mind?!"

**"No!"** Morgan responded loudly. "Oh, come on!" Ed shook his head. "Why not?"

"It's too dangerous and it's not your problem so you shouldn't be risking you life or worrying about it."

"Ed, it's me. I told you my parents died, right? Well who do you think was stuck taking care of her sister-?"

"You have a sister?"

"Yes, she was born after we moved but that's not the point here. It's me. I had to take care of her until my grandmother was able and well enough too. If I can take care of her at thirteen, I can sure as hell take care of myself at fourteen. I know it's not my problem," She said continuing before he opened his mouth to object. "But if you take me with you at least I won't be stuck here worrying like Winry, and believe me she worries. At least if I'm with you and Al, I won't have to be like that."

Ed hesitated and Morgan held her breath. He sighed. "Fine, I'm sure Al will have no objections- but on one condition." His honey eyes met her chocolate. "If I tell to come back here or leave and go back to Eastern because it's too dangerous, you have to. No arguments."

Morgan nodded, launching herself at him and pulling him into a fierce hug. "God, I think if I spent another day in this town, I'd crack up." She said, her voice muffled against his shirt.

Ed hugged her back and she felt him smirk against her neck. "Maybe you shouldn't come..." She grabbed his braid and pulled, "Ow...ow... **ow!**"

Morgan glared at him, "Don't play me, Blondie."

"I was joking!" She let go and planted herself beside him. Ed hesitated again, "So are we friends again?"

Morgan nodded and punched his real arm playfully. "You know I can't hold a grudge if I tried. I guess I'm just too nice. Just for the record though, never call me Aquatic again. Ever again." She said. _"Never."_

Ed sighed. "Agreed, as long as you don't call me FullMetal; I get enough of that from Roy."

She laughed, "Agreed."

* * *

Morgan's white room was still packed with boxes and garbage bags full of clothes. She was in her usual outfit with her little blue messenger bag on her back with only the necessities inside- clothes, toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, ect. "Miguel thank-you for persuading Mrs. Krimskii to let me use the White Room, otherwise I'd have no where to keep my stuff." 

"No problem. I'm sure you'll see Kaytie before I will so tell her to come visit. Alicia's waiting for her." Miguel replied, bouncing Alicia in his arms.

"I'm gonna get to meet Auntie Kaytie?" She bubbled.

They were standing on Mr. and Mrs. Krimskii's front porch with Ed and Al waiting in the background, the three of them having already said goodbye to Winry. "Well," Miguel said. "It's a nice day, I'm sure you'll enjoy the long walk to the train station. Did you call your boss?"

She nodded and turned to Alicia. "You gotta take care of your Daddy, okay? And no more spying, he told me that when he came out of Aunt Kaytie's room, lo and behold, you and Ed were right there." Alicia giggled and Morgan hugged them both.

The brunette jogged over to Ed and Al. "You ready?" Ed asked.

"Yup! Let's get this show on the road."

"Morgan, you're a dork."

_"I am not!"_

"Suuuure you're not."

"Brother, Morgan, must you bicker?"

Miguel sighed; they'd be back.


	11. Chapter 11

Authors' Notes:

Chibi-chan: Hi...

Jin's Lady: You're enthusiastic today

Chibi-chan: No, I'm not. Right, For those of you who didn't check our profile, yes the daily updates ended with chapter 10. That is because all of those chapters were prewritten and pretyped and the rest we shall actually have to write, type, and then update. So yes, we actually have good reasons!

Jin's Lady: And now on to the disclaimer, Hughes?

Hughes: Right, Jin's Lady and Chibi-chan own nothing of FullMetal Alchemist but they do own Morgan and Kaytie. Now on to more important things... Who wants to see a picture of my darling daughter Elysia?

Jin's Lady: Swats Hughes We've seen enough of her!!

Chibi-chan: Thank-you to everyone who reviewed, we love you! Um and yes to everyone, please enjoy, read, and review!

Chapter 11: Welcome to the Desert

Kaytie was alone. It was the first time she'd been alone in… she lost count. Of course, she had no idea _where_ everyone else was but she was enjoying not having her every move watched. The hideous brown drapes that covered the window were pulled open so that sunlight spilled into the room and across the concrete floor. She was sitting on her bed with a pad of paper and pencil that Sloth had given her in her lap.

Kaytie's fingers worked skillfully as she sketched her perfect view from the window. It was only the desert, but it was better than nothing.

The door opened and she sprang to her feet, the sketchpad and pencil flying out of her hands, across the room and smacking Envy square in the face.

She twitched.

An hour! That's all she asked. No! She got twenty minutes alone. That's it.

"Ow." The palm tree said, rubbing the red mark on his cheek. "What's wrong with you? You're so jumpy."

"_'What's wrong with you?'_" Kaytie mocked, her voice sounding freakishly like his. "Shut up!" She crossed her arms and scowled.

Envy sighed as he kicked Kaytie's sketchbook out of the way. "Lust needs to talk to you."

"Yeah?" Kaytie said, retrieving her pad of paper- which at the moment was her only source of entertainment- and glaring at Envy for kicking it. She brushed the dirt off. "'Bout what?"

"We'll discuss it when we get there." He replied smugly.

"Ooooo!" She said smirking and tucking her paper under the covers of her bed. "Sounds serious." She joked.

"It is, Princess." There was that tone she couldn't place again and the famous trademark smirk that went with it. Kaytie rolled her eyes.

"Don't call me that, Spiky."

Spiky twitched and Kaytie laughed as he glared at her. "Fine, Fine. Let's go." She said, opening the door for him. "Palm trees first!" She said cheerily.

Envy pushed her out first, sending her a glare that gave her shivers. "I'll meet you there. She's in the room Pride was in last time."

Kaytie narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "Okay," She left. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" She called back.

_'Note to self,'_ He thought. _'Do not let Sloth give her anymore sugar.'_

Envy pulled back the blankets on Kaytie bed and picked up her pathetic excuse for a sketchbook. Okay, he had to admit to himself that he was curious about what went thought that girl's head on a daily basis. He flipped through it… A doodle of a cat…..a doodle of herself as a cat….a doodle of him as a cat (which had written underneath, _'Ha! Take that you stupid smirk!!!!'_ He raised an eyebrow; this is what she did with her free time? He sweatdropped.) ….a sketch of the room…..a sketch of himse- whoa, It was actually good. It was dated yesterday. Underneath her signature was written, _'I HATE HIM!!!!STUPID PALM TREE!! GAH! HE'S AN IDIOT… I think…'_

Before he actually had time to register what was written on the paper, the door opened, Envy jumped, and for a second time in fifteen minutes, the sketchbook took a beating from the wall. It was Sloth. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"Nothing, come on, let's go."

"Okay, Lust sent me to get you, not the other way around."

"Shut up."

"Oh, my God." Morgan said. "I think I'm dying! This is worse than watering those trees!" She was dragging her feet behind her in the sand as the sun beat down on her back. "We're in the middle of nowhere!" She complained, following a certain blond State Alchemist.

They were in the middle of a desert. A _freaking desert!_

"Morgan, I told you coming with us wouldn't be all sunshine and daisies. Don't complain; you're giving me a headache." Ed said tensely.

They trudged on for a few more minutes in silence before Ed decided to, in Morgan's opinion, have a mental breakdown. "I'm so hungry!" He moaned, falling to his knees and resting on all fours. "If there was some grass I could turn it into bread but all we have is sand!"

Morgan stared at him with a mixture of pity and an expression Kaytie called the Morgan Look. According to Kaytie, this look said, _'you're an idiot.'_ without speaking a word. "You, Ed, are a very, very sad little person."

**"I am not small!! Who are you calling so short that he could get stepped on by an ant and not get squished because he's fit in between the grooves in the ant's shoes?!?" **

Morgan sighed; her head was pounding from the heat. "Ed you are such a hypocrite. You tell me not to complain and then you take a spaz!"

"You are so-" Ed stood and whirled around but stopped. "Where's Al?"

"Wait, what were you going to say? Finish your sentence!"

"Frustrating! Al! Where'd you go?!"

Morgan sighed and sat in the sand. How'd they manage to lose a seven-foot suit of armour? "You lost him?"

"I did not lose him!" He retorted. "Al where are you?"

"Brother! I'm over here!" They watched as a pair of steel hands dug themselves out of the sand and lifted a steel body out.

"Al! This is the third time you've been buried, how does this keep happening?" Ed yelled. Morgan sweatdropped, she thought they'd established that a while ago.

"Brother, I get full!" Al said, trying to reason with him.

"With what?! Gha!" He'd kicked Al's chest plate open and an avalanche of sand fell over him.

Morgan fell to her side laughing as Al giggled and quickly moved away from his brother.

"Why you!" Ed said, diving at Morgan, after un-burying himself. She sprang up, still laughing and backed away.

"Ah," She clutched her sides; they felt like they were going to split. "Don't attack me!" She gasped as she ran and took cover behind Al.

"Get back here!" Ed shouted after then as Al grabbed Morgan's hand and pulled her in the opposite direction. "Brother, what are you going to do to us?"

"Make us!" Morgan shouted back.

"Slow down and let me show you!"

"Stop chasing us!"

_Tick, tick, tick, tick _

The clock was ticking. Kaytie leaned back on the couch across from Lust and crossed her legs.

The door opened and in walked Sloth who was followed by Envy.

"What took you?" Kaytie asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Yes, Envy, Kaytie's right. You took quite a long time. I had to send poor Sloth to get you." Lust agreed.

He rolled his eyes and lounged in the chair next to the couch Kaytie was sitting on. He ignored her question. "So, Lust, you gonna tell her?"

She glared at him. "Kaytie, we've considered your critical role in us becoming human and obtaining the Philosopher's Stone and Pride thinks, and we all agree, that it is time for you to meet Danté."

"Finally! God, I've been hearing so much about her that I was beginning to wonder whether I was ever going to meet her." Kaytie said. She said it sarcastically although she really did want to meet Danté. Kaytie was curious to how she knew how she did her alchemy. "When is she getting here?"

"To the contrary Kaytie, _you're_ going to meet _her_." Lust explained.

Kaytie blinked. She suddenly felt as if it wasn't worth it to leave. She masked her face so that it only showed fake excitement. "When do I leave and where to?"

"You're leaving in four days and Envy will be accompanying you. You will be taking the train to Dublith."

"Hey!" Was heard from Envy. "You never said anything about me going! I don't want to go."

"Hmmmm…" Lust drawled. "Must have slipped my mind." She said silkily.

Kaytie laughed, maybe leaving wouldn't be so bad. Still, she couldn't wait to get back to Eastern. Morgan had probably weaseled her way back there by now; she wasn't very persuasive but her whining would do the trick. "So, we leave in four days!" She said cheerily. "Anything I can do until then?"

Morgan, Ed, and Al had entered a town some few minutes back. Morgan looked around. It was….different from Eastern, that was for sure. The sound of splashing water met her ears and Ed stopped complaining about how thirsty he was and ran forward. _"Waterwaterwaterwaterwaterwaterwaterwater-"_

Morgan rolled her eyes and she and Al ran after him. Traveling with the Elrics required a lot of running. Morgan hated running. It was still a million times better than doing Mrs. Krimskii's chores, though. The trio stopped at the foot of a large fountain in the middle of a clearing. She laughed when she saw Ed's face fall at the sight if what was in the fountain. The 'water' was red.

"Is it blood?" Al asked. Morgan raised an eyebrow, what kind of search were her friends on? She knew it was for the Philosopher's Stone but…blood?

Ed sighed, "No," He answered, pouring some out of a mug he held. "More like blood-red wine. It's pretty ritzy if you ask me."

Someone grabbed the back of Morgan and Ed's collars and pulled them away. "Kids aren't supposed to be by the fountain!" He scolded. "What do you think you're doing?!"

Morgan sighed; she could already tell this wasn't going to be a pleasant trip. Oh well, being with Ed and Al was definitely better than being back in Risembool cleaning or in Eastern, convincing- trying to convince then enlisting Riza's help- Colonel Annoying into doing his paperwork then eventually giving up and doing it for him. The corners of her mouth twitched up into a smile. Yes, being here was much, much better.

They followed the man who scolded them to an outdoor restaurant with a cracked sigh that read FOOD over top. "So you guys out-of-towners? You street performers or something?"

Ed spat out some of the drink he'd ordered. "What makes you think we're street performers?!" Morgan rubbed at her temples; he was just too loud sometimes. She heard Al sigh beside her.

"Could it be that you're wearing gloves in the desert and your buddy's in a huge suit of armour? The girl's the only one who looks normal." The shopkeeper answered.

Morgan smirked. "Ha! Ed, you look weird!"

'"Shut up! I'm no clown okay?!" He aid loudly to be heard over Morgan's laughing. "Shut up!"

Morgan nudged him, "Is that the only comeback you've got?" She teased. "_'Shut up!'_?"

"What about you?" Ed teased back. "You're the one who has the State Name _Aquatic_."

Morgan punched him, playfully looking appalled. She tried to keep a straight face but Al trying to stifle back his laughter was contagious. "I thought I told you not to call me that?!" Morgan asked mock anger seeping though her voice.

Ed rolled his eyes and continued to sip his drink until Morgan snatched it away from him. "Hey-!"

"Sorry," She said, swallowing a mouthful then sticking her tongue out at him. "It was just too tempting" The brunette drank another mouthful before pushing the glass back to Ed. "Sorry," She said again, not really meaning it.

The shopkeeper placed a bottle of what in front of her. She smiled, "Thanks! I didn't even have to ask."

"Don't mention it. Oh!" He suddenly exclaimed, making the Elric brothers turn their attention back to him. "I almost forgot, it's time for Father Cornello's broadcast."

Morgan cocked her head to the side, Father Cornello? Oh God did she ever hope that they didn't' just stumble upon a weirdly religious town.

_"Children of God who dwell on the earth…"_ Rang out from everywhere. It seemed that literally everyone in town was listening to the same thing. "There is no salvation without prayer and faith.

_"The Sun God Leto will illuminate thy path."_ Morgan watched Ed glace at the radio sceptically as if to say, 'Yeah, right.' _"Behold! The lord hath descended from thy heavenly throne to save the from all thy sins. For I am thy Father…I am the emissary of the Sun God."_

Ed rolled his eyes, "'Emissary of God'…?" He scoffed.

Morgan inadvertently tuned out the conversation; she had her own view in religion and wasn't about to judge anyone else's. Resting her chin on her left hand, Morgan caught snippets of what the others were saying.

"You've never heard of Father Cornello?!" The shopkeeper exclaimed, outraged and shocked.

"…Who?" Ed asked, not really interested.

"He's wonderful!" A couple people who were listening said loudly.

"He came to our town a few years ago and completely remade it! He showed us all the way of God!"

"He can even bring back the dead!"

All three heads shot up at the same time and they tried to act as if they weren't interested. _'I don't like the sound of that,'_ Ed thought as he exchanged worried glances with Al and Morgan.

Out of the corner of her eye, Morgan saw Ed playing with his straw in his mouth. "You're not listening, are you kid?" The shopkeeper asked.

"Nope, I'm agnostic." He answered.

_'Great, Ed, lovely, be totally cynical.'_ Morgan thought. Not that she believed that this Cornello guy could bring back the dead but he could at least have been opened minded. Even when he was a child he was quite closed minded. He could have at least tried to respect other peoples' religions.

"Come on. Morgan, Al, you ready to go?" Ed asked, bringing Morgan back to reality.

"Yup!" Al chirped as Morgan hopped off her stool, stretching. She felt much better now that she was no longer dehydrated. She stopped mid-stretch; she was the Aquatic Alchemist and they needed water in the desert, why didn't she just use the sand to make a well? Because she's stupid. Morgan sweatdropped. And Kaytie called her smart, why she'd never know.

Morgan spun around when she heard something metal crash to the ground. Her eyes darted from the broken radio that sat at her feet to Al who was standing looking as worried as it is possible for a suit of armour

"Hey!" The shopkeeper yelled angrily. "Please, could you be more careful?! You shouldn't be walking around in that suit anyway!"

Morgan glared at him, "Calm yourself," She said. "It takes two seconds to fix."

"Yeah," Ed agreed. "Don't bust a lung, we can fix it."

Morgan rolled her eyes, she'd just said that.

"I'll try guys." Al said, crouching down and drawing a transmutation circle around the fragments.

"And how do you plan to do that?" The shopkeeper asked from behind the counter. "It's in a thousand pieces!"

_'Way to point out the obvious,'_ Morgan thought.

"Just watch." Ed said, leaning up against the counter.

Morgan crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her weight. "Alright, all set." Al said. They were drawing quite a crowd now. Morgan shifted uncomfortably. "Here we go…" Al pressed his hands to the array and Morgan shut her eyes and turned her head as blue alchemical light flashed and her hair whipped around her face. When the dust cleared, in the middle of the transmutation array, sat a brand-new-looking radio.

_"Listen to God's teachings…"_ It rang out perfectly.

"Hey! Your buddy can work miracles just like Cornello!"

A mysterious woman who sat off to the side of the food stand smirked; the people of Lior really were ignorant fools. She listened as the pipsqueak how it wasn't a miracle but alchemy.

"Miracles? No it's alchemy, we're alchemists." He said.

"Fools," Lust muttered under her breath, and then louder said. "That's the FullMetal Alchemist, Edward Elric." She smirked slightly, seeing that her voice had sent shivers down the girl's, Morgan's, spine.

Everyone within earshot flocked to Al and Morgan sweatdropped, guessing that it happened a lot.

"So you're the FullMetal Alchemist?"

"I've heard of you guys!"

"Oh! So that's why they called you FullMetal, because you wear that armour!"

The brunette couldn't stop herself from laughing; she could see Ed twitching and fell the aura he was emitting. Totally pissed off. She laughed even harder.

"Oh no!" Al said stuttering. "It's not me, it's him. I'm the younger one, Alphonse Elric."

_'Yup,'_ Morgan thought. This definitely happened a lot. She was surprised that Ed was able to control his anger at not being recognized (probably because of his height, although he'd never admit it,) as the older one of the two.

"What? The little one?"

For maybe two seconds, silence hung in the air. And then, as Morgan predicted, Ed snapped.

He grabbed the arms of the two closest people to him that were gathered around Al. The person who called him little and some one else were swung around by Ed like a pinwheel. **"Don't call me small!! Or midget!!!! Or shorty!!!!!!"** He yelled, dropping them to the ground. "_I'm_ the FullMetal Alchemist, _Edward Elric_!"

As always, Morgan found Ed's rant amusing to say the least. She had to lean against the counter of the stand to keep herself standing upright, she was laughing so hard.

"Okay, so you're the Elric brothers," Someone said. "Who's she?"

Morgan stopped laughing and shrank back to the counter. "I'm no one." She said quickly, not wanting the attention. Attention was never good for someone as klutzy as Morgan. She could never predict the next time she'd trip over her own feet. Kaytie called her a walking disaster waiting to happen.

"No you're not!" Ed scolded, grabbing her wrist and pulling her toward him and Al.

"Fine, I'm Morgan Shaw, the Aquatic Alchemist." She said stiffly, knowing they'd never heard of her before.

They blinked before turning back to buzz over Ed. She glared at him, as if to say, _'I told you so. It didn't matter if I introduced myself.'_ He rolled his eyes; Morgan gloated too much.

"My, isn't this place lively today." Said a feminine voice from not too far away. The voice revealed itself to be a girl not too much older than Morgan. She had pale pink bangs that were parted in the middle and chestnut brown hair that fell past her shoulders. "And who do we have here?" She asked.

"Out-of-towners, they're alchemists and they're here because-" the shopkeeper blinked. "Why did you say you were here again?"

"I didn't," Ed answered dryly. "We're looking for something."

"Right, they're looking for something." The shopkeeper repeated. Morgan rolled her eyes for the millionth time that day.

"I hope you find what you're looking for!" The girl said brightly.

"Are you here for the daily offerings, Rose?"

Rose nodded, "So where are you staying?" She asked, turning toward Morgan, Ed, and Al.

"Um…" _'Actually,'_ Morgan thought. _'That's a very good question.'_

"If you want, I'm sure Father Cornello would let you stay in the temple's guest rooms!" Rose offered.

"No than-" Al started to say before Ed cut him off.

"Sure! We'd love too!" He said enthusiastically, taking everyone by surprise.

"We would?" Al questioned.

_'Oh boy, this is going to be one hell of a trip,'_ Morgan thought sarcastically.

Kaytie sighed in content. She was going to Dublith in four days and had nothing to do until then. Life was good. Unless she counted the ever-constant palm tree across the room who always seemed to be present. Then life sucked.

Kaytie rolled herself off her bed and started pacing- a habit she'd picked up lately.

She was only slightly worried about meeting Danté. Or she would've liked to believe that she was only slightly worried. Mot even Morgan knew how she did her alchemy. So the question begged, why did a complete stranger know? _'She's certainty done her homework, that's for sure.'_ Kaytie thought, leaning up against the windowsill; it was becoming one of her favourite placed to think.

She could tell Envy was becoming restless in the corner. He came to stand next to her as he often did.

Kaytie rolled her eyes and looked straight down at the sand. She almost fell out of the window. "Oh, snap."

Following some girl Kaytie could care less about, were three figures, a suit of armour, a short red blob and a short blue blob. She turned to envy to make sure that she wasn't hallucinating. The sadistic smirk plastered to Envy's face told her she wasn't.

"Ah, Fuck."


	12. Chapter 12

Authors' Notes:

Chibi-chan: Hello and welcome to the 12th edition of _Life, Love, Lost_ we hope you enjoy your reading experience and-

Jin's Lady: What are you doing?

Chibi-chan: Being dramatic, why you got a problem with that?

Jin's Lady: Just get on with the disclaimer please.

Chibi-chan: Fine, be that way. Ed you haven't done the disclaimer in a while so it's your turn.

Ed: Fine. Whatever. Chibi-chan and Jin's Lady do not own FullMetal Alchemist in anyway shape of form and they are not making money off this story. -Sigh- I'm so tired, I wish Morgan would stop waking up in the middle of the ni-

Jin's Lady: Shhh! -Covers His Mouth- You're going to give away part of the story! -Nervous Laugh- Hehehe... Ignore him.

* * *

Chapter 12: What it means to be a Shaw

_A six-year-old Morgan rubbed at her eyes; she'd been working on this essay for her parents for two hours and she hadn't gotten past the second point._

_"Morgan, dear?" The small brunette averted her gaze from the various boos spread across her desk to her mother, standing under the doorframe._

_Mrs. Shaw was a short woman with jaw-length shiny blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes. She had a naturally kind face and, didn't look it but was stern and strict. "Have you finished your essay yet? Dinner's almost ready."_

_It was a persuasive essay, meaning six paragraphs were necessary; an introduction, the second strongest point, the weakest point, the rebuttal point, the strongest point, and the conclusion. Morgan was only half-way through._

_"Er...almost." She lied. "I'll be down in a minute."_

_Mrs. Shaw pursed her lips into a thin line. "You father wants the essay finished tonight and said no dinner until it's done, okay?" Morgan nodded; she wasn't hungry anyway. "I'll check it when you're done and I'll save some past for you, alright?"_

_Morgan nodded again; it'd always been like this. Work first- always meet the deadline. It was the only way she'd ever become a State Alchemist._

Morgan stopped mid-step and leaned against the nearest building. For someone who didn't get sick very often, she was sure getting a lot of dizzy spells lately. Ed, Rose, and Al stopped and stared at her curiously. "You okay?" Ed asked.

She nodded then blinked, "Did anyone else just hear Kaytie's voice? I think I just heard her swear..."

Ed and Al glanced at each other then back at her. "Are you feeling alright, Morgan?" Al asked hesitantly. "Kaytie's probably back in Eastern now."

Morgan blinked, "But..."

Ed took off his left glove and rested the back of his hand against Morgan's forehead. "Maybe you have sunstroke... You don't have a fever thought." He looked puzzled. "I knew you shouldn't have come with us."

Morgan shook herself mentally. "I'm fine!" She snapped, swatting Ed's hand away from her.

Ed looked at her and hesitantly shrugged. "Okay, but if you get sick, it's your own fault." He rolled his eyes and turned, motioning for Rose and Al to continue walking.

"Since when do I get sick, Ed?!" Morgan called after them. She didn't get an answer. Fleetingly, the brunette glanced up at the building above her and watched as, about three stories up, the most hideous brown curtains fluttered in the wind.

"We're almost there," Rose said, loud enough for Morgan to hear even though she hadn't moved from where she was standing. "This is the church actually but the entrance is on the other side."

Something red flashed by the drapes above and Morgan tilted her head slightly. She mentally shook herself again, Kaytie was in Eastern! Not here, in Lior! What was she thinking?

"Morgan!" Ed called. "If you're not sick, get over here or we'll leave you behind. And we all know with your sense of directional skills, you'd be lost in five minutes."

"Hey!" Morgan said, spinning on the spot and quickly catching up with them. "_You're_ the one who had us wandering aimlessly around the desert for hours!"

* * *

"Ah, fuck!" Slipped from Kaytie's mouth as she continued to watch the four figures below. 

She spun around, her red hair whipping out the window momentarily. "We're screwed." She said, her voice an octave higher than normal. "Why are they here?! Why is _Morgan_ with them?!"

Envy's laughter stopped and his face twisted into a disgusted expression. "Why do you care about _them_?" he asked sourly.

Kaytie whirled around to face Envy. "Because, if that is Ed, Al, and Morgan, I should worry! Those brothers get into so much trouble...ugh! I couldn't care less about Ed, and Al can take care of himself, but Morgan's _useless_! She can't do anything!" Kaytie was pacing again, back and forth between her bed and the window. "I don't have any doubt that you guys have something planned which is the part that makes me worry," She continued. "Because I can't warn her for several long reasons that you already know. If she gets hurt, it'll be my fault And then I'll have to kick Ed's ass for letting her get hurt, thus making my list of things to do even _longer_!"

Kaytie collapsed on her bed, out of breath. Envy was leaning back against the windowsill, watching her rant with amusement. She sighed and sprawled on her back over the bed, tilting her head back slightly, meeting Envy's gaze. "Please tell me that's not the Elrics... That Morgan's not actually in Lior... That I'm possibly dreaming?"

"Sorry, Princess, I got confirmation from Lust a few minutes ago." He said, seemingly enjoying her distress.

Kaytie squeezed her eyes shut. "...Kill me now."

* * *

Ed stared out the window, Morgan was looking around the room, and Al was out in the hallway. "I'll take the bed," He heard Morgan say, as she plopped her bag beside it. 

"Are you sure?" He asked. "I could take it if you want."

"We'll switch next time, 'kay?" Morgan compromised. "Next place we stay, I'll get the bed."

"Alright," He smiled.

Ed turned back to the window and Morgan rummaged through her bag for her toothbrush. As she entered the bathroom, Al came into the room. The brunette smiled at him as he went to stand by Ed.

After brushing her teeth and showering, she towel died her hair and slipped on her pyjamas.

"…Maybe Cornello really is a holy man…" Morgan heard Al say as she made her way over to them.

"It's all fake." Ed said back.

"What's all fake?" She asked.

"How this Cornello guy says he can bring Rose's dead boyfriend back to life." Ed explained, scoffing. "There's no way." He continued.

Al sighed, "She has no other relatives so she turned to the church."

"And that's why she worships him so much," Ed finished.

Morgan tucked her hair behind her ear and placed her hands on her hips. "Well, that's not exactly a fairy-tale story, is it?" The brunette sighed, deciding to keep her opinion on this to herself as not to upset Al._ 'Cornello may or may not is a holy man,'_ she thought, as she shifted through her bag again, looking for a book she brought. _'But it's highly unlikely that he can bring the dead back to life.'_

Morgan plopped herself down on the couch and quickly found her book. It was heavy and leather bound with a blank cover. A cloth bookmark rested right at the beginning, telling Ed and Al that she hadn't started reading it yet.

"What're you reading?" Ed asked, looking over her shoulder.

"It's my mother's research journal." She answered. "I found it a while back when you were helping me pack to move to Mrs. Krimskii's."

"Do you need help decoding it?" Ed asked, assuming that Mrs. Shaw recorded her research in code.

Morgan shook her head, "I know my parent's code. She and Dad used the same one and taught it to me when I was little, so that's how I record my research too." She flipped open the cover. "I brought it just in case it might help you guys. I mean, it's doubtful, since they specialized in chimeras and such, but you never know."

Ed's eyes softened and Al sighed as he sat on one of the beds. Ed sank into the spot beside Morgan and glanced at the page the book was open too. It was generally a blank page with only a few words written on it.

_1910-1912_

_For:_

_Dave Shaw, __Elizabeth Knox, and __Samantha Patil_

"Your mother had an acknowledgments page?" Ed asked.

Morgan nodded, "Yup, for every journal. For the last couple days, I've been trying to figure out who Elizabeth Knox is; I know Sam 'cause she's my teacher and obviously Dave Shaw is my dad but I've never even heard of Elizabeth Knox. I don't even think I know an Elizabeth. But the weird thing is that she's mentioned in almost every single one of my parents' research journals."

"…I think I've heard that name when we were researching a while back, right Al?" Ed tuned toward him, looking curious.

Al nodded in agreement, "Wasn't she a former State Alchemist?"

Ed nodded, "That sounds about right."

Morgan sighed, "That would at least explain where she knew my parents from." She snapped the book shut and stuffed it back in her bag. "Well, I'm going to bed." She announced, grabbing one of the two blankets off Ed's bed.

"Yeah, we have to get up early if we want to catch Cornello's Miracle Show." Ed agreed. Morgan rolled her eyes.

She shut the light and crawled under the covers on the couch, facing the backrest. The brunette closed her eyes and fell asleep instantly.

Ed listened to the switch in Morgan's breathing as it became more even and deeper. "Does she always fall asleep right away?" he asked Al as he undressed.

"She has since she's been with us." Al answered. "Goodnight Brother."

"G'night Al," Ed yawned, crawling into his own bed and drifting off to sleep.

_A seven-year-old Morgan stared out the window of the train, watching the beads of water drip and slip down the glass. Rain was heard pounding against the roof of the train but other than that, the compartment that she shared with her parents was silent._

_Tears still stung the back of her eyes from an hour ago when she said goodbye to her best friend. Her parents had warned her that the mover to Eastern wouldn't be easy but they said it was for her own good. In Risembool, Morgan was 'too distracted' and 'didn't focus enough on her studies' and moving to Eastern was supposed to get her to focus, as well as helping her parents with their jobs as State Alchemists. The small brunette glanced at her parents then went back to staring out the window._

_The scenery out the window changed and Morgan suddenly found herself standing and pounding on the glass. The train had stopped moving and Morgan was watching her parents on the other side of the window._

_Red lightning flashed across the scene, reflecting off the glass of the window and tears fell freely from Morgan's eyes, dripping and slipping down her cheeks._

Ed shot up and out of bed, flicking on the light; Morgan was screaming and crying in her sleep. He face was flushed and tear-streaked, and she was tossing and turning, the blanket she was using twisting around her small form.

The blond State Alchemist stumbled over to her where Al was already kneeling; having been quicker than Ed. Ed shook her, "Morgan!" He said loudly.

She sat bolt upright, her breathing harsh and ragged. Beads of sweat clung to her face, mixing with her salty tears. "Just-just a dream." She assured herself, trembling.

"Are you alright?" Ed asked, concern etched in his face.

She nodded and took several deep breaths, calming herself down. "It was just a nightmare." She said quietly. "I'm fine. You guys can go back to sleep." She ran her fingers through her hair and slowly laid back down, rolling to her side to face Ed who was still sitting by the couch.

"Take the bed." He said.

"No!"

"Yes... it's okay, just take the bed." He pulled the blanket away from Morgan. "You're not getting this back and I'm not moving so there's no point in arguing." He reasoned.

"But... Oh, fine." Morgan gave in, standing unsteadily and shuffling over to Ed's bed. "Goodnight." She said again, hoping against anything she wouldn't have another nightmare. One was embarrassing enough.

"Night." She heard from Ed and Al.

It'd been a long time since she'd had a nightmare, since she'd first arrived at Mrs. Krimskii's. The dream had started out with the day she moved away from Risembool and gone to... She took another deep breath. The day her parents were killed. It was different though. Morgan was thirteen when her parents died, not seven and it hadn't been on a train, it'd been in her own living room.

Morgan rolled over, reflecting on her dream. The fact that it had been raining on both occasions and the red flash were accurate. She supposed the glass and train window symbolized the helpless feeling of how she wasn't able to do anything in either stopping the move i or /i in preventing her parents from dying. The separating her from her parents must have meant that. She sighed and rolled over again. She wondered why the dream combined the two occasions though. It could be the fact that if they had never moved to Eastern, her parents might still be alive today... she sighed, feeling like she was never going to get to sleep.

The brunette rolled onto her back and closed her eyes finally, just trying to forget the dream, vaguely noting that the blankets had Ed's scent on them.

* * *

The door to Kaytie's room opened and Envy entered, followed by Lust. "Here ya go, Princess." 

Kaytie jolted off her bed, "I want to help with the plan." She said instantly, not even giving Lust time to open her mouth.

Lust raised an eyebrow, "Do you?" She asked, her silky voice floating across the room.

Kaytie nodded, "You're the one who informed Envy that the Elric brothers are here, were you not?" Lust nodded, amusement evident in her eyes. "I need to know, was there a girl dressed in all blue who called herself Morgan Shaw with them?"

"Yes I believe there was."

"God damnit." Kaytie swore.

"Careful, Princess." Envy taunted. "We're in a church." He joked.

She glared at him, and then turned back to Lust. "Yes." She answered. "I want to help with the plan."

"Okay." Last agreed, moving ever so slightly toward Kaytie. Kaytie almost took a step back but didn't. Lust still intimidated her because of the fight she lost. A light blush dusted across her face at the thought. "The first thing you're going to do is come with me to warn Cornello about the boys' appearance in Lior." Lust continued. "We'll be doing that tomorrow after his pathetic excuse for and miracle show." She smirked, turned on her heel and left.

"Right," Kaytie said to herself, flopping back onto her bed. She shifted so she was facing Envy who was leaning against the wall. "Will you tell me the plan now?" She asked.

He sighed, "I might as well. Lust would probably tell you anyway."

_'Wow,'_ She thought. _'Isn't he being unusually cooperative today... I thought it would take more begging.'_

* * *

When Morgan opened her eyes the next morning, it took her a moment to register why she wasn't on the couch. Then she remembered her little issue with the nightmare. Morgan groaned and rolled over, "I need coffee," She mumbled, sitting up. Her brown eyes met a pair of honey, she screamed and tumbled out of bed, landing in a heap on the floor. 

"Well," Ed laughed. "That was graceful."

"Brother that was mean!" Al said reproachfully.

The brunette rolled onto her back and glared at him. She sat up and untangled herself from the blankets. "Shut up, Shorty."

Ed narrowed his eyes, "I'm not short, I'm just excessively not tall." He replied stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Suuuuure." Morgan said, noticing that Ed was already dressed. "You keep telling yourself that and while you do I'm going to go get changed."

Twenty minutes later, the trio was outside in the boiling hot sun, with at least a hundred other people.

Morgan took a sip from the water bottle she'd thought to bring and stood on her tiptoes to glance over the considerably taller peoples' heads. At the top of the podium at the front there was a man wearing black robes. _'So this is father Cornello,'_ Morgan thought.

At the front of the crowd, there was a flash and the glass of water Cornello had been holding was now red wine. Another flash was seen and what was previously a block of wood was now a statue of what Morgan assumed to be the Sun God seeing as these statues were literally everywhere.

"What do you think?" She heard Ed ask. She turned toward him.

"That's gotta be Alchemy." She and Al answered in unison. She laughed.

"That's what I thought too." Ed continued, looking thoughtful.

"But..." Morgan mumbled. "A block of wood isn't exactly equivalent to that statue there." She pointed out.

"What about the laws...?" Al asked, phrasing Morgan's statement as a question.

"You guys decided to come after all!" Morgan spun around to find herself face to face with Rose. Out of impulse, she took a step back, tripping over Al's foot, knocking into Ed and successfully pushing him off the suitcase he was standing on and into the sand, falling on top of him with a heavy thud. People around them were staring. The brunette felt a blush creep onto her face as she sprang up, pulling ed to his feet. "Sorry!" She squeaked. "I'm such a klutz!" She laughed nervously.

"It's okay," Ed brushed the sand off his red jacket.

"Sorry," Rose apologized. "I didn't mean to startle you. But didn't I tell you? You must believe that Father Cornello can perform miracles now! He's the Sun God's child!"

Morgan sighed; Rose probably wasn't going to take Ed's brute honest well. "Nope, that's Alchemy, no matter how you look at it." Ed stated. "Cornello's a fraud."

"But he's able to bypass the laws for some reason..." Al trailed off.

"That's the problem right there." Ed said, running his hands through his bangs.

"Laws?" Rose questioned.

Morgan stared at the sky as Ed and Al proceeded to explain the Law of Equivalent Exchange and the Law of Conservation of Mass. She felt slightly like a third wheel who didn't need to be there.

She turned back to face the front and watched as a small girl handed Cornello a dead bird. With a flash of light, Cornello opened his hands and the bird flew out, good as new.

Morgan narrowed her eyes and glanced at Ed who was staring at the fraud with a sly look plastered on his face. That look usually meant that he'd seen something the others didn't.

* * *

Kaytie and Lust stood in the shadows of Father Cornello's broadcasting room _'This is stupid.'_ Kaytie thought._ 'He's not even here yet so why are we hiding?'_

The redhead shifted her gaze to the door as Cornello and one of his idiotic followers entered. _'Finally!'_

"Stay here." Lust muttered quietly. Kaytie was about to protest when Lust glanced at her sharply, warning her to keep her mouth shut. Kaytie glared back.

Lust stayed in the shadows for the moment, standing slightly in front of Kaytie. They listened as Cornello talked about Ed, the FullMetal Alchemist. They went on about how he's a threat and Cornello asked the idiot to 'take care of it'. _'Fat chance,'_ Kaytie thought. _'Good luck "taking care of" Ed._ _Even I'd have a hell of a time trying that. And of course he's a threat, are you stupid?'_

Cornello turned toward Lust when his follower, Clay, left._ 'This proves he isn't as stupid as he looks.'_ The redhead though, shifting under his gaze. "I must thank you for letting me know of the situation." He said to Lust. "It will be taken care of." _'Or maybe he is. Lust must have given him notice that we'd be here.'_ Kaytie sweatdropped.

"Wait, _'taken care of''_?" Kaytie asked suddenly, her thoughts jumping to the fact that Morgan was with them. She didn't like the sound of that.

Cornello glanced at her but Lust paid her no notice, which only frustrated her. "I'm not sure you can do it alone." Lust said.

Cornello smirked, "Don't worry, if this plan fails, I have a back-up plan."

"As do we," Lust answered, pulling Kaytie out from behind her. "Should your backup plan fail, she will step in."

Kaytie feigned shock, "What?! I don't want to be the backup, backup plan!" Really, this wasn't the plan at all. The real plan was, should his backup plan fail, they'd kill him and Envy'd take his place, seeing as he could shift forms. Although she hoped, it wouldn't have to come to that because if it did, he wouldn't be able to come to Danté. "If I do this I have one request: I do not want Morgan Shaw hurt at all." She said, using the situation to her advantage. Lust glared at her and Kaytie smirked.

"Shaw?" Cornello mimicked. "I've heard that name before. Is she the daughter of Tracy and Dave Shaw?" Kaytie nodded though she didn't like the look on his face. "_I_ won't hurt her," He agreed. Kaytie sighed out of pure relief. "I'm interested to find out what the offspring of the great Moulding Alchemist and Entity-Binding Alchemist can do." Cornello said thoughtfully. _'Not a whole lot...'_ Kaytie thought. "She and FullMetal must make quite a team."

Kaytie flinched slightly; Morgan wasn't even close to being as skilled as her parents or Ed. "You have no idea..." She forced out.


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Notes

Chibi-chan: Oh my gosh, it seems like forever since we posted!

Jin's Lady: It's been a month.

Chibi-chan: Shhhh! Don't tell them that!

Jin's Lady: You know that they can read what you type, right?

Chibi-chan: -Sweatdrops- Shhh! Anyway... this chapter was supposed to be about twice it's length. I really wanted to get Lior done in this chapter but I thought that the original chapter I wrote was too long so I cut it in half. But I am done Chapter 14 so you guys can expect that chapter soon, within one or two week, you just gotta give me time to type it -Sweatdrops again- Chibi-chan's a slow typer.

Jin's Lady: -Rolls eyes- Anyway, Roy, can you do the disclaimer today?

Roy: No.

Chibi-chan: Peeeeease?! -Does Puppy eyes-

Jin's Lady: Oh my God...

Roy: ...Fine. Chibi-chan and Jin's Lady don't own FullMeatl Alchemist or any of it's characters however they do own Morgan and Kaytie. -Walks off-

Chibi-chan: Well that was rude.

Jin's Lady: Very. Please read and review. -Walks off-

Chibi-chan: Where'd she go? _Wait for me!_

**

* * *

**

Chapter 13: Chimeras

The church was silent. Morgan ands Ed were sitting in the front pew. Morgan sighed, "This is a pretty church." She said, gazing at the stained-glass windows.

Ed raised an eyebrow, "That was random."

She shrugged, "I'm a random person."

"You are not." Ed retorted, laughing. The idea of Morgan being random all the time was too much to take. "You're the most predictable person I know."

She pouted, "Really?"

"Yes."

Sighing, she slid down the bench, closer to Ed. "Come here," She said, grabbing his red coat ands tugging him over. "Turn around." She ordered. He did, glancing at her quizzically. Morgan sat cross-legged on the pew, turned to the side, facing Ed's back. She undid his braid ands ran her fingers through his hair.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Ed asked, turning slightly to look at her.

"I'm playing with your hair, silly." She said, "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Why?" He asked irritably.

"'Cause you have nice hair," Morgan said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I wish my hair was as nice as yours, but it's not. All I have is this," She fingered the end of a piece of her own hair, glaring at it distastefully.

She pulled his golden strands into a ponytail ands leaned over to look at him from the front.

"...You're weird." He said.

"Nope!" Morgan said, shaking her head.

"Yes, you are." He argued.

"No, I meant your hair looks better in the braid." She corrected, sitting back ands retying the braid, not catching the blush that dusted across his cheeks. "Of course I'm weird, I'm friends with you aren't I?"

"Are you calling _me_ weird? You're the one with the strange hair fetish."

"It is not a _fetish_." Morgan rolled her eyes as he turned to sit properly on the bench. She stayed sitting sideways, sighed, and rested her forehead against his shoulder. "I'm so tired," She yawned. "I really wish I hadn't woken up last night."

A light blush graced Ed's face, "What did you dream-?"

"I thought I'd find you two here!" They turned to look behind them and saw Rose. "So, are you going to join the church of Leto?" She asked.

"No," Ed answered. "I'm not religious." Morgan nodded to show her agreement.

"That's not a real answer!" Rose said, bringing her hand to her chest with pride. "If you believe in God, you can live with hope ands gratitude everyday! It's wonderful!" She gushed. "Besides, if you have faith, you'd grow taller!"

**"What was that?"**

Morgan sweatdropped, "She didn't mean it like that!" She held him back from her. "Ed, you really have to work on your short complex." She said, going back to resting her forehead against his shoulder.

He glared down at her then turned back to Rose. "How can you honestly believe these things? Do you seriously believe that if you pray to God the dead will come back to life?"

Morgan sighed; Ed just always had to prove himself right. Even if it wasn't true-which it wasn't, no one could bring someone back from the dead- Morgan was ninety-nine point nine percent sure it wasn't- maybe Rose was happy believing that it was true. Morgan was all for exposing Cornello as a fraud but there was no need to gloat to Rose first.

"Yes." Rose answered. "...I do!"

Ed sighed again ands pushed Morgan off his shoulder. She frowned, '_Lovely' _She thought. _'My headache keeps getting worse.'_ She watched as Ed reached into his red jacket ands pulled out the most tattered book she'd ever seen.

He opened it somewhere in the middle, "Water: thirty-five litres. Carbon: twenty kilograms. Ammonia: four litres. Lime: one-point-five kilograms. Phosphorus: eight-hundred grams. Salt: two-hundred and fifty grams. Saltpetre: one-hundred grams. Sulphur: eighty grams. Fluorine: seven-point-five grams. Iron: five grams. Silicon; three grams. And trace amounts of fifteen other elements."

Morgan gave him a deadpan look. "Ed, you're an idiot. You know that means absolutely nothing to her, right?" Ed glanced at Rose to see that Morgan was right. Morgan sighed, pulling her legs onto the bench and her knees to her chest. "That's the total chemical make-up for an average adult human body." She supplied.

"How'd _you_ know that?" Ed asked, turning to her slightly.

"I used to live with Kaytie, how could I not know that?"

"Anyway," Ed turned back to Rose. "Modern science knows all of this, yet there has never been a single example of a successful attempt at human transmutation. Scientists have been pouring tons of money into research, ands to this day we still don't have a theory."

Morgan's brows knitted together; she'd never seen Ed look so serious before ands it was... extremely different from his goofy side. Thinking back to about a week ago, when he'd finally confronted her about her finding out about his automail, he'd been this serious but somehow it wasn't the same. The brunette supposed it was because maybe he and Morgan knew each other. But then again, hers and Rose's situations were similar, and she could imagine that it would be very frustrating for Ed to try and explain something to someone who was determined to believe the opposite, in Rose's case and in Morgan's case, someone who refused to listen.

"It's like there's some _missing ingredient_... They say science is a lost cause, but I think it's better than sitting around, praying, and waiting for something to happen." Ed continued.

"I have to agree with Ed there." Morgan said suddenly, averting her eyes from Rose's

Ed continued, "For that matter, the elements found in a human being... is all junk that you can buy at the market with a child's allowance. Humans are made pretty cheaply."

Morgan glanced sharply at Ed as Rose scolded him, say that God would punish him for talking as if people are objects. Ed was laughing. Morgan had to wonder, _'Is that what you did?'_ She thought. _'He must have to try to bring Trisha back...'_

Bringing herself back to reality, Morgan heard Ed saying, "It's ironic that we, as scientists... who don't believe in God... are in a sense the closest thing to him."

The brunette gaped at her best friend, "Ed, don't you thing that that's just a little bit conceited?" She asked quietly.

"What pride..." Rose said, disgust laced throughout her voice. "Are you saying you're God's equal?"

"Of course not!" Morgan started to say quickly; Ed was egotistical sure, but that was taking it _way_ too far. However before she got the whole sentence out, Ed cut her off.

"Well, it's like that myth about the hero," He said. "He made wings of wax so he could fly... but when he got too close to the sun... to God... the wings of wax melted and he crashed to the ground."

Rose looked confused but Morgan sighed in understanding. Ed was relating the hero to himself, to his own misfortune. When he attempted to what was forbidden, he got too close to God, and like the hero in the myth, he crashed right into the ground.

In the next moment several thing happened, none of the being good. A gunshot rang throughout the room, causing Morgan and Ed to jump to their feet. Something metal clanged to the ground and Morgan, Ed, and Rose spun around to face the door and find Al's armour body lying flat on the ground, the head sitting close to Ed's feet. The glanced at each other before turning to face the gun, pointed straight at them.

Morgan froze and reflected later that she must have looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Before this, the closest the brunette had ever come to being at gunpoint was when Riza threatened to put a hole in Roy's head and she just happened to be in the room.

Ed reacted quickly, grabbing Morgan's wrist and pulling her behind him.

"_Brother_ _Cray?!_ What are you doing?!" Rose exclaimed, taking a horrified step back.

Cray aimed the gun at Ed and Morgan squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face into the back of his shoulder.

"That's a pretty mean God..." Al's voice echoed throughout the church. Morgan snapped her eyes open and her gaze found Al, his armour standing and talking with out a head.

Even though Morgan knew, the sight was still strange to her. She had to blink several times to register it.

While Cray was distracted, Ed took the liberty to whip Al's head, which was sitting at his feet, at him. "Strike!" He declared as the helmet struck Cray square in the face, knocking him unconscious.

"My head!" Al said, exasperated.

Morgan glared at Ed reproachfully, "Ed, that was his head! You can't just go around chucking it at people!"

Rose's hand flew up to her mouth and she let out a muffled scream. "Wh-what is _this_?" She stuttered, backing up further and pointing to Al.

Morgan sighed, half in relief and half in annoyance. The relief came from the fact that she was alive and at least now, she knew she wasn't the only one to overreact to Al. The annoyance came from hoe Rose chose to phrase her question- it bothered her. However, it wasn't her place to say anything so she kept quiet. She figured Al must be used to it by now anyway.

Ed shrugged and tapped on Al's chest plate. "This is just what it looks like, no big deal."

Al retrieved his head and set it on, "This is what happens when you trespass on God's territory. My brother and I both were punished." He said quietly. Morgan saw Ed unconsciously grip his automail arm.

She saw the tears gather in Rose's eyes, "No!" The girl turned and ran. Morgan sighed; it was just as dramatic as when she found out. The only difference was that they were safe at Winry's and in Lior, well, she could only assume from current events that they were not.

The brunette sighed, "What now?"

* * *

"What now?" Kaytie asked. She and Envy were standing above the stage in a part of who-knows-where inside of what Kaytie found out to be a church. When Envy had met her after she and Lust finished talking with Cornello, he'd dragged her to this room. "What are we doing here anyway?" The redhead plopped down to sit on the floor of the upper platform, where the whole room was visible beneath them.

"We're waiting." Envy replied, clearly irritated as he glanced down below. That fool, Cornello, and the girl, Rose, were standing on the stage.

"For what?" Kaytie asked again, know she was purposely getting on his nerves.

"The pipsqueak."

"You're joking!... Aren't you?" She said loudly, almost praying he really was joking.

Envy laughed, "Of course not, Princess."

Kaytie swallowed the lump that seemed to be obstructing her throat. He mouth had gone dry. "We can't let her get hurt."

Envy shrugged, "We're here to observe, not to interfere."

"But... she can't! You don't understand! I-" Kaytie broke off as the door opened below.

"Quiet!" Envy hissed.

She snapped her mouth shut. In that split second, Kaytie decided she didn't care whether it was an order not to interfere. She'd damn well interfere if she wanted to.

* * *

Ed, Al, and Morgan leaned up against a set of doors, attempting to push them open. "Haven't seen these doors before," Ed said thoughtfully. "I bet they wouldn't hold a service down here. As soon as the trio entered the room, their gazes landed on Rose. "Rose!" Ed yelled.

Cornello entered from the side of the platform and Morgan saw Ed scowl at the fraud.

"Thank-you, Rose, for leading them here." He turned to face them, eyes flashing from Al, to Ed, to Morgan and a smirk spreading across his face. "I knew you'd come."

"You did, did you?" Ed asked, stepping forward in front of Al and Morgan. "We caught your little performance earlier today." He continued smirking. Morgan eyed him curiously, did he have a plan? She doubted it, Ed was more of a _'Let's wing it and see where it gets us,'_ type of person.

"Performance?" Cornello echoed. "You make the work of God sound false." He said, a wry smile spread across his face.

Ed scowled, "You and me both know that was alchemy."

Morgan waited to see the reaction on the fake prophet's face. She was completely nonplussed to see that there was no reaction. Her gasp gained Cornello's attention.

"Ah," Cornello said looking smug. "If it isn't the daughter of the infamous Entity-Binding and Moulding Alchemists. Are you here to live up to their names?" He mocked. Morgan scuffed and looked away. It reminded her of the inspection, when Furhrer Bradley was calling in her. She hated being taunted. "I hear from my sources that you're called Aquatic, is it true? Could the great Entity-Binding and Moulding's offspring have such a weak title? I-"

_"Shut up!"_ Morgan said loudly. Ed and Al turned to look at her. Ed had just been about to stop the taunting himself but Morgan beat him to it. "Don't talk about my parents like you knew them! You don't know anything. You're just a third-rate fraud who has to rely on fooling people with alchemy to get anything done!" Morgan's face was flushed from sheer anger. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth to continue yelling but Ed silenced her by holding up his hand.

"Morgan's right." He said simply. "You're a third-rate fraud who really shouldn't talk about things you don't understand. As I was saying before, the three of us know it was alchemy that you did at your little miracle show earlier today, so you can give up the charade. There's only one thing that got me though. You ignored the laws and didn't follow equivalent exchange."

"That's why I'm telling you, my miracles aren't alchemy."

"And then it came to me," Ed interrupted, smirking. _"The Philosopher's Stone."_

Morgan masked the look of surprise that crossed her face. It was then she realized she needed to pay more attention to her surroundings; the Philosopher's Stone hadn't even crossed her mind.

* * *

"OhmyGodohmyGod_ohmyGod_!" Kaytie leaned against the railing of the platform she and Envy stood on.

"Calm down!" He hissed, "They'll hear you."

Kaytie snapped her mouth shut and then wrenched it open again, "How _dare_ that idiot taunt Morgan like that. Like he knows what he's talking about when it concerns her parents. He has no idea!" Envy was now physically restraining Kaytie from jumping down and dealing with Cornello herself.

"Do you want to reveal yourself?" He whispered angrily. "Don't be such a selfish brat!"

"I'm not selfish..." Kaytie stopped struggling, seeing that Morgan wasn't in any immediate danger.

_"...The philosopher's Stone."_ Floated up to meet Kaytie and Envy's ears.

"...Damn." Now Kaytie was panicked. She struggled against Envy's grip. "Let me go!"

* * *

Cornello's expression changed from smug too serious."

"That's how you do it, right?" Ed pressed taking half a step forward. "And maybe, just maybe... it's that _ring_?"

The _ring_?! Morgan officially felt stupid; how could she not have noticed it before? Like, they were _looking_ for the stone, how could she not have noticed?

"Correct!" Cornello announced, holding up his hand to show a ring around his middle finger with a red stone in the centre. "This is the Philosopher's Stone. The legendary Catalyst, the amplifier of all alchemical processes."

"It can bypass the law of equivalent exchange." Ed added.

"The state sure gets their money's worth out of you two, don't they?" Cornello asked, smirking bitterly.

"We've been looking for that!" Ed said harshly.

Morgan was getting anxious; there was no way that the idiot was going to give up his Philosopher's Stone without a fight... Morgan had never been in a fight. Suddenly she wished she paid more attention to when Sam, her teacher, was teaching her to spar, or when Kaytie actually offered to spar with her. She felt extremely vulnerable and at an extreme disadvantage.

"I'll be blunt," Ed continued. Morgan stepped behind him ever so slightly "Give us the stone and we'll stay quiet about the scam you've been pulling on everyone." Morgan sighed, rubbing her temples; her headache was steadily getting worse.

"What do _you _need the stone for?!" Rose yelled out suddenly from the platform, furious tears forming in her eyes. "You're so selfish!"

"Rose-" Al started before Ed held up his hand, blocking him from stepping forward.

"Don't bother." He said bitterly.

Morgan nodded in agreement, "There's no use trying to convince someone who doesn't want to be convinced."

Cornello laughed, "You'd try to bargain with me? My followers would never believe you. They think my words come from _God_! And even if I did give you the stone, without my miracles, within a month. When I came here this place was a God forsaken dust ball. I made it what it is!"

All of a sudden, Cornello clapped and Morgan was knocked off her feet as the room flooded with sand. "Al, Morgan!" She heard Ed call as he landed on his feet. Morgan landed on her side about ten feet away from Ed. The brunette groaned slightly as she got to her feet.

"Armour has disadvantages." Cornello laughed, seeing that Al was upturned. "You're not very graceful, are you Shaw?" He laughed again, "And you can't use transmutation circles on the sand!"

Morgan scoffed, silently thanking Kaytie for passing her habit of always carrying gloves everywhere onto her. She slipped a pair of white fingerless gloves out of her pocket and onto her hands. They had transmutation circles stitched into the middle of the palms.

She span around when she heard a low growl coming from her right. Morgan stepped back as a creature that looked half-lion, half-lizard stepped out of a cage.

Mr. and Mrs. Shaw had specialized in chimeras, so the sight wasn't new to Morgan, but she couldn't help but wince.

"You combined animals using the stone." Ed stated upon seeing the beast.

"Correct!" Cornello said again, looking smug. "It's a chimera."

The chimera roared and Ed sighed as Morgan stepped behind him. "This one might be tough to play with empty handed," He said sounding bored.

Morgan's eyes widened and she gasped- he couldn't be serious. If that thing got anywhere near her she'd be a goner.

Ed clapped and pressed his hands to the ground, transmuting a spear from the sand.

"What?!" Cornello exclaimed, horrified. "No circle?!"

Morgan quickly jumped away as the chimera sprang toward Ed.

* * *

"Let me go, you evil sadistic bastard!" Kaytie snarled, kicking her foot back. Her foot hit Envy's shin and he let go out of shock

"Ouch! Get back here! He seethed as Kaytie ran toward the edge of the platform. Silently thanking Cornello for keeping it noisy down below, Envy grabbed Kaytie's arm, spinning her so that her back was to his chest. "Keep _quiet_!" He hissed. "The consequences won't be pretty if you don't."

"Like _hell_!" Kaytie replied, fighting against his arms. "Who said I'd ever listen to y-?!" Her words broke off, muffled as Envy clamped a hand over her mouth.

"I said _shut up_!" He leaned to look at what was happening below. Cornello had just released the chimera.

Kaytie stood stock-still, trying to figure out how to get out of Envy's grip. He leaned slightly to check on the situation below. A loud roar was herd and Kaytie's eyes widened. If that jerk thought she was going to let _anything _happen to Morgan, he had another thing coming. The redhead decided to take the fact that Envy was distracted to her advantage. She opened her mouth and sank her teeth into her hand.

"Ouch!" Envy whipped his hand away from her mouth. "You little bitch!"

Kaytie stumbled over to the edge of the platform and was about to jump when she crashed to the ground, her chin smacking hard against the concrete. _'That's going to bruise...'_ She thought. Envy had caught her foot. She tried to kick him in the face but his hold was too strong. "Let go!" She said roughly, panting from the effort of struggling.

He pulled Kaytie toward him and pinned her to the ground underneath him. "You're staying right here, got that Princess?" He asked, face dangerously close to hers.

Despite the situation, Kaytie had to fight off the blush that threatened to appear on her face. "Get off me, you pathetic excuse for a living thing." Envy chuckled at her choice of wording. Green eyes bore into violet for a moment, glaring at each other, before Envy sat up, straddling Kaytie's legs. "Get off!"

"I _said _you're staying right here! And if I have to keep you pinned to the floor, then I have to keep you pinned to the floor."

Kaytie heard a girl's scream from down below them and saw Envy's lips twitch into a smirk. She struggled for a moment before coming to the conclusion that she was stuck. _'Ed, if Morgan gets hurt, it'll be your head!'_

* * *

The chimera sprang toward Ed and Morgan quickly scrambled away. Thinking quick, Ed held out the spear to block the chimera from attacking him and he used his momentum to push it, sending the chimera flying about ten feet.

Cornello scowled and waved his arm, signalling a small green bird to fly toward Ed. He smirked, held up his hand, and a red shockwave reverberated throughout the room. The small green bird was no longer small; it grew to what looked to be about ten times its original size.

All of this went unnoticed by Morgan. She was ever so slightly distracted. "Shoot!" She said, dodging the chimera Ed threw her way. She backed up slightly, her eyes never leaving the chimera lying on the floor. It was momentarily still, twitching slightly, only just enough for Morgan to notice, before it got to all fours and rounded on the brunette. She stepped back, the half-cat, half-lizard advancing toward her.

It sprang forward and Morgan stumbled out of the way. The chimera's claws caught the sleeve of her shirt, tearing the fabric and putting a gash in her upper arm. She winced, holding the wound with her right hand and feeling blood seep through her fingers and down her wrist.

The chimera turned sharply as it rounded on her again. It leaped forward and Morgan tried to dodge but tripped over her feet and fell to the ground, skidding slightly, ripping her cargo pants at the knees. Her eyes widened as it charged toward her for a third time. Out of instinct, she shut her eyes tight, clapped her hands, and pressed them to the ground, transmuting a wall from the sand. The chimera crashed into it and bounced back, dazed.

Morgan sat against the wall clutching her shirt, attempting to clam herself down as the chimera ran toward Ed.

She span around and quickly got to her feet to see the chimera's mouth clamped onto Ed's shoulder. The bottoms of his pants were ripped, revealing shiny automail. "What's the matter, kitty?" he asked as the chimera continued its attempt at gnawing at his shoulder. "Tastes bad?" Ed knocked the chimera away, successfully knocking it out. Morgan sighed in relief.

"What?!" Cornello asked from the platform ahead, shocked that Ed wasn't even bleeding.

"Mechanical limbs? Automail... I'd always wondered why they'd give a child like you such a stern name, but now I know, it's quite literal."

Ed slowly began ripping off his red jacket, seeing as it was ton beyond repair. Morgan looked away, blushing and trying to push away the thought that were entering her mind. _'Morgan!'_ She mentally scolded herself. _'Be serious here! You're hurt and he'd your best friend! Stop thinking about how good looking he is!!! Ugh! This is a serious situation here!'_

Ed threw his jacket to the ground. "Ha! Now I understand you, Elric!" Cornello boasted as Ed raised his gaze to him. "You crossed the line- did what is strictly forbidden to alchemists!" Morgan inched her way over to where Ed and Al were standing, still holding her wounded arm. Cornello continued, "You tried to create human life and your bodies were taken from the other side. You were crazy enough to find out for yourself why it is forbidden. You are the FullMetal. _The FullMetal Alchemist!_"

Morgan sighed; she could tell this was only the beginning- it was only the dark before the dawn. And that really sucked for them.


	14. Chapter 14

Authors' Notes:

Chibi-chan: Hi! OMG, I meant to have this chapter out on Friday but wouldn't let me upload it! I felt bad 'cause I promised I'd have it out last week. I'm sorry!

Jin's Lady: Chill, it's only -Counts- three days late. That's really not a lot. It's better than not updating for a month...

Chibi-chan: But we've done that too...

Jin's Lady: Shhh! No one needs to know that.

Chibi-chan: ...Right. Anyway, -Sigh- Morgan can you do the disclaimer? Pleeeeease?

Morgan: ... Fine. But only 'cause you asked so nicely. Chibi-chan and Jin's Lady do not own any of Fullmetal Alchemist. However, they do own Morgan and Kaytie.

Chibi-chan: Thank-you! And thank-you to those who reviewed for Chapter 12. I realized after I posted 13 that I didn't thnk you guys! So thank-you! Enjoy, Read, and Review please!

* * *

Chapter 14: An Imitation

Cornello grinned and it made Morgan want to rip it right if his face. "Alchemists forbid their own from transmuting lead into gold but there's one practice even more taboo." Morgan could only assume that he was talking to Rose because it was painfully obvious that she, Ed, and Al already knew this, seeing as they were alchemists and two out of three of the had tried it. "It goes against even nature. Human Transmutation- that is, alchemy, on human souls."

Rose's eyes widened and she let out a strangled gasp as Ed and Al averted their eyes from hers. Morgan sighed; she could honestly say that she didn't see this coming. Cornello turned his attention on the brunette once more, "Did you try it too?" He asked jeeringly. "On your dead parents perhaps?" He mocked.

Morgan scuffed, a conceited smirk coming onto her face, "Of course not." She said simply. "I wouldn't be so stupid." The statement wasn't directed at Ed and Al, it was just a fact.

Cornello smirked at her direct answer. "You miserable boys..." He said to Ed and Al. "Dabbling in human alchemy without knowing its penalty. You stepped on the toes of God!"

Al started forward, "You don't know the whole story!"

"Al!" Ed said harshly. Al looked at his brother then at Morgan, who smiled sympathetically.

"But we just wanted..." Morgan could tell that he was remembering Trisha. She started tearing up, God this was hard. She didn't even want to imagine how hard it was for the boys. If it was this hard for her, it must have been almost unbearable for Ed and Al. "We just wanted to see Mom's face again... her smile..."

"But you failed, didn't you?"

"Of course they did!" Morgan interjected, wiping the tears from her eyes so no one would see them. "No one can do human transmutation!" He ignored her.

"Yeah," Ed agreed. "I'd label that a failure alright. Al lost his whole body and I lost an arm and a leg because I was reckless." He raised his automail arm and clenched his fist. "Rose, this is what it takes to raise the dead, are you willing to pay that price?!"

Rose looked like she was in shock; her hands were clasped in front of her, pulled tightly to her chest and her eyes were wide as saucers. Cornello draped a comforting arm around her shoulders. Morgan had to look away, disgusted. "Don't let them worry you Rose. The great Sun God Leto has blessed me with the Philosopher's Stone. Besides," He added conceitedly, "I have far more experience than these heretics did."

"I doesn't matter what kinda powers you have!" Ed yelled, stepping forward. "Some things just can't be done and you'd be stupid to even try!"

"What's the point in you having the stone then?" Father Cornello asked ignorantly. "You want to beat the laws of equivalence just as badly and bring your mommy back." He mocked. Morgan twitched in anger, trying to keep her temper in check. It wasn't often she was hotheaded, under pressure she was calm, cool, and collected, or so Roy said. It was another one of the reasons she qualified as a State Alchemist- probably the only good reason. However, it was hard to stay calm, cool, and collected when there was someone as ignorant as Cornello around.

"Wrong! All we want is to get our bodies normal again. See, we don't lie about what's possible. We didn't start a cult!"

Cornello twitched in anger as Al held out his hand. "We'll ask you one more time, please give us the stone."

"You are damned, State Alchemists." He said, regaining his smirk. "May the wrath of God fall upon your head."

"Stop hiding behind that crap!" Ed said angrily, swiftly bringing his fist to his side as if punching the air. "Get down here and I'll show you wrath!"

Suddenly, there was a flash of red alchemical light behind Cornello and Rose tuned to see what it was. She backed up, horrified.

Ed gasped and Morgan took a startled step backwards as Father Cornello whipped out a giant machine gun out from behind his back. He'd transmuted his cane into it using the stone.

The shooting started immediately but Ed reacted quickly, clapping his hands then transmuting a wall like the one Morgan had. Ed grabbed her wrist and Al's arm and pulled them both behind it. They could hear Cornello snickering but when the dust cleared, the snickering quickly developed into a sharp gasp. Ed sweatdropped and Morgan leaned up against the wall for support, clutching at her frantically beating heart. "That was a little close for comfort," Ed said.

_"A little?!"_ Morgan exclaimed. If she didn't die travelling with the Elrics, surly the stress alone would kill her. She laughed but felt like crying. Her eyes rested on the ground, her back to the wall.

"Father Cornello!" Her head shot up and her eyes met a group of people dressed the same as Cornello. The leader reached inside his shirt, pulled out a gun, and started shooting at Al. He blocked his head with his arms.

Ed grabbed Morgan's arm and began pulling her toward the corner of the room. "Come on Al! This way!"

"Idiot!" Cornello shouted. "You're running straight at a wall!"

"Well," Ed shot back. "It's like I always say, if you can't find a door, make one, right Morgan?"

She grinned at him, understanding what he was implying. "Or," She said. "If you don't want people to leave, make a wall." She joked, referring to the way he trapped her in Kaytie's room back at Mrs. Krimskii's.

Ed shrugged, "Hey, it works both ways." They clapped and pressed their hands to the brick wall at the same time, causing blue alchemical light to flash and a door to appear in the middle of the wall. The three of them burst out and ran for their lives.

Morgan and Ed sat at the base of a Leto statue, out of breath, while Al stood to the side. Morgan was gasping for air- she'd never run so fast in her life. "Why did they treat us like we're evil?" Al asked. "If we really wanted the stone at al costs, we'd have taken it by now." Ed looked upset, grumbling incoherently to himself and Morgan sighed. All three of them looked up as a nearby loudspeaker squeaked to life.

_"Attention people of Lior,"_ It rang out. _"This evening, three non-believers tried to take the life of out great prophet Cornello. One short and blond-"_ Ed twitched at this comment. _"-one wearing armour, and one short brunette dressed in blue. Father Cornello asks you all to stay in your home and be safe."_

"Great," Morgan said sarcastically. "Now we're wanted."

* * *

Kaytie felt like a rag doll being dragged from place to place. She stood at the top of what looked to be a bridge connecting the roofs of two buildings. Lust and Gluttony stood next to her. They watched as the towns people scurried around like little ants to find the Elric brothers and Morgan. "Thanks for getting me away from Envy," Kaytie said to Lust. "He was really getting on my nerves."

"That was some bite mark on his hand." Lust said. "You put up quite the fight. However, it isn't for us to decide your punishment. Danté will see to that when you go to her."

_'They're_ telling _on me?! What babies.'_ Kaytie nodded, although she didn't regret trying to help Morgan. That bastard of a prophet went back on his word when he said he wouldn't hurt her.

* * *

Morgan and the Elric brothers were surrounded by the people of Lior. They were shouting but Morgan's headache was now so bad that she could hardly hear them.

"There they are!" Someone said. "There are the two short ones and their Tin Can!"

**"Who are you calling a small little pipsqueak?!"** Ed spazzed.

"_No one said that so back off!!_ We have more important business to settle."

Morgan smirked ever so slightly as she leaned up against Al. If the villagers looked closely, which she betted that they weren't smart enough to do, they would have noticed that 'Al' was standing in the exact same spot as a Leto statue was previous. Before they were surrounded, Ed had transmuted the Leto statue to look like Al and told him to go. However, he and Morgan were stuck.

Ed scratched his head, sighing and answering all of their questions. "He's a phoney, he's just using alchemy."

"Liar!" The crowd parted and Rose stepped out. "I just saw my boyfriend, Kain. He spoke to me. Father Cornello's brining him back."

Morgan and Ed exchanged worried glances, knowing that this wasn't going to end well. "Good for you Rose." Some people said. "He was a nice boy."

"There have been others too!"

"Really?" Ed asked sarcastically. "Has anyone ever seen these people up close? 'Cause I heard they all left town right away."

"Look!" Morgan exclaimed, terrified, stepping behind Ed for what seemed like the millionth time that day. Ten-foot-tall stone Leto statues were walking toward Morgan and Ed. They quickly surrounded the trio. Morgan spotted Cray standing on the other side of the statues, smirking at them. One of the statues used its sun staff to stab the fake Al in the stomach and toss him aside. They continued to beat him.

"Al!" Ed yelled out, acting as if it really was Al. In the next moment, two Leto statues used their staffs to bash both Morgan and Ed across the back of the head. There was searing pain in the back of Morgan's head and she crumpled and fell unconscious instantly. Ed fell to the ground, his vision hazy as he watched the statues whack the fake Al's armour. His eyes closed and he too fell unconscious.

* * *

Ed and Morgan's hands were behind their backs as Cornello's followers held them in place. When they had regained consciousness, they'd found that they were inside the church once again. Cornello snickered and snatched Ed and Morgan's pocket watches from their belts. "No!" Morgan protested. Tears formed in her eyes- that was the only thing she had on her other than her mother's research book that reminded her of her parents.

"Give that back!" Ed said as he struggled against the followers grip.

"So this is the reason you can do alchemy without transmutation circles, isn't it?" Cornello asked. Morgan looked at him curiously, then down to her hands which were still covered in her fingerless gloves. _'He must have missed them...'_ she thought, sweatdropping. "The official State Alchemist's pocket watch, I've never seen one up close before. It acts as an alchemic amplifier." Cornello continued, staring at both of the pocket watches. "I think you two will be quite harmless without them." He was laughing again, growing louder with every passing second.

Morgan frowned, what was he trying to do? Imitate the 'bad guys' from fairy tales with their evil laughs? Whatever it was, it was pathetic. She sighed and hung her head, glancing at Ed to see him glancing back. They smirked.

* * *

The room was dingy and ark with only the light above Morgan's and Ed's head for comfort. They were chained to the wall, hands shackled above their heads. "My arms are numb." Morgan complained.

"Suck it up," Ed said. "We'll be out of here in no time. They haven't got Al, remember?" He asked. She nodded slightly, trying to will away the fluttery feeling in her stomach. She couldn't decide whether it was caused from the stress of being chained to a wall where people wanted to kill her, or from the fact that Ed was still wearing his ripped shirt. "How's your arm? It stopped bleeding, right?" Morgan nodded again, letting her head drop forward and her bangs shadow here eyes.

They both looked up as Rose entered the room carrying two trays of food. "Great!" Ed said enthusiastically. "You came to feed us! And I thought you were mad," He opened his mouth, waiting to be fed. Morgan couldn't help but snicker.

Rose set the trays in front of them, without saying a word, and turned away quickly. "I just hope he's real, Rose. I don't want you to be disappointed." She hesitated a moment then ran out.

Ed tried manoeuvring the tray so that it was close to him, then looked to Morgan who hadn't touched hers. "Aren't you gonna at least try to eat?"

She shook her head, "I'm not hungry. If I ate in this situation, it'd be like chewing carpet..." Ed looked at her weird. "I just can't eat right now." She explained.

"You need to eat more." He said bluntly.

"I'm just not a big eater." She started to argue before the sound of digging echoed throughout the room. Morgan and Ed both turned to the right to see what it was.

They smirked. "Told you so," Ed said smugly.

Morgan smiled weakly, "What would we do without you, Al?"

* * *

After a night of restless sleep, Kaytie found herself once again with Lust. They were in Cornello's bedroom, waiting for the fraud to wake up. Lust sat in a chair and Kaytie stood impatiently behind her.

He awoke suddenly, seemingly from a nightmare. The first thing he saw was Lust, the second being Kaytie.

"You broke your promise." Kaytie said angrily, barely keeping her temper in check.

"Calm down." Lust ordered. She instantly quieted, glaring disapprovingly at the homunculus. She turned back to Cornello. "The _real_ secret of the Philosopher's Stone stays between us, right Love?" She said seductively yet remaining as dangerous as ever.

He nodded, a terrified look on his face, "Of course." He said instantly.

Kaytie frowned; she couldn't wait until she could pound this idiot.

* * *

"This little charade of yours will be found out soon enough." Ed said. Cornello was 'visiting' them, for lack of a better word. Morgan stayed quiet and took deep breaths. She had never been in this type of confrontation before- the kind that involved having to put her life on the line- and she wasn't good with confrontation to begin with. It had taken all of her nerve just to face Ed when he apologising and explaining about his automail and Al's armour. She had only once come close to dying before Lior and her nerves were shot from yesterday and last night.

"The faithful aren't likely to distinguish between alchemy and the works of God. Really, as long as I'm bringing them happiness, what do they care where it comes from?"

"You're deceiving them." Morgan said softly. "It isn't happiness in the long run."

Cornello laughed at her, although this time, she wasn't embarrassed. She just thought he was an ignorant bastard.

"So," Ed asked. "What's in it for you? Besides all the recognition," The fake prophet chuckled. "Is it the money you're after?" Ed pressed.

"Oh, I can get all the money I want from the offerings." He answered, grinning horribly.

Morgan smiled slightly, _'Right about now...'_ She thought.

"But you and your naive think too small. I'm making believers who'd gladly throw their lives away if I willed them too. And why not?" He continued. "They believe that I can resurrect them. There's no greater army than those with a holy call." He finished, laughing.

"You're sick!" Morgan said, disgusted and repulsed by his way of thinking.

"No, my dear, I'm a genius." The look on Morgan's face was one that could tell even the stupidest person that she was appalled. "In a few years time, I'll have an army large enough to tear this country apart and rebuild it- In my name!"

Ed took his hands out of the shackles and seeing this, Morgan did as well. She rubbed her wrists; they were numb and tingly as the blood came rushing back. i 'It's about time,' /i She thought. They'd been pretending to be chained ever since Cornello first came to 'visit' them. "It makes no difference to me," Ed said. "There's no _real _ way to bring people back from the dead, right? Once you cut us down, we're gone for good."

_'Hasn't he noticed that we're not bound anymore?'_ Morgan wondered. _'How stupid is this guy?'_

"I'm afraid that's right." Cornello said smugly. "Even with the Philosopher's Stone I wouldn't dare try Human Alchemy." Ed absentmindedly took a bite of his bread. "I'd end up like you." Cornello continued. "And why would a king put his own life at risk for the life of his pawns?" Morgan took a sip of her juice. "Wait a second!"

"It took you long enough to realize we weren't chained." Morgan said. She watched as Ed gave a big grin and moved to the left slightly, revealing a hidden microphone. She laughed.

**"What?!"** Cornello screeched as Ed helped Morgan to her fee, laughing with her. "How long has that been on?!" Cornello demanded.

"As long as the 'Rebuild the country' part I think." Ed answered his tone light.

"How did you get my broadcasting equipment?!" Cornello was livid. Morgan burst out laughing; It reminded her of when Kaytie did something to piss Roy off.

"Al helped us out," She said, trying to catch her breath. "The funny part is that it wasn't even Al that you had your statues smash up. It was just a Leto statue that Ed transmuted to look like him."

"No! My children!" Cornello exclaimed, frantically yelling at the microphone. "They lie! Don't believe them!" He transmuted his cane into a machine gun again and for the millionth time to two days, Morgan was terrified. He started shooting immediately.

Ed quickly pulled her out of the way and transmuted his automail arm into a blade. When the dust cleared, it was apparent that Ed had sliced the gun in half, surprising the old preacher. "Oh and by the way," Ed said. "We don't get our skills from pocket watches."

Morgan held up her hands to show that the gloves she was wearing had transmutation circles in the middle of the palms. Cornello gasped, a shocked look of surprise still etched onto his face. He backed away, turned, and ran.

Ed sighed then quickly followed him with Morgan jogging closely behind. "Thanks," She said.

"For what?"

"Saving me multiple times in the last two days." She answered, speeding up so that she was running beside him.

"Well, what am I gonna do? Sit there and let you get shot?" Ed asked, looking at her like she was crazy.

Morgan sighed, "I just feel useless. I know what you mean now when you said that it's just a little bit too dangerous."

"So you're wishing you didn't come?" Ed asked in a tone she couldn't identify.

"No! I really want to be here!" Morgan assured him. "It's just... I can't even fight. Remind me to get Kaytie to teach me when we get back to Eastern."

"I could teach you if you'd like," Ed offered, a light blush gracing his face.

"Okay! That way I don't have to wait 'till we get back to Eastern."

They came to the exit to see Cornello was standing on the platform where his miracle shows were usually held. The statues that surrounded the platform were walking which only lead Morgan and Ed to assume that he'd just finished transmuting them to move. Trying to impress the large, murderous crowd- also known as an angry mob- wasn't turning out too well for him. "Give it up, Cornello." Ed said loudly.

"Don't think you fooled me down there with your little display. Without these-" He dangled Morgan and Ed's pocket watches in front of them. "-the only alchemy you can do is to your own metal arm. And you," He said, turning to face Morgan. "You're just pathetic, even if you do have your little gloves."

"She is _no_t!" Ed defended Morgan as her face went red from a mix of embarrassment and anger. "And you know what? You're not the only one who can't stand doubters preach!" He clapped his hands and slammed them to the ground. Morgan turned around slowly, not quite expecting what she saw. The huge Leto statue from inside the church was walking on its own. She stared up at it in awe; _'Wow, I knew he was good but this is_ really _good!'_ She thought.

"Not even the Philosopher's Stone could move something this big!" Morgan heard Cornello say, thunderstruck.

Coming out of her daze, she turned to Ed and gave him thumbs up, "Go Ed!" She cheered. He grinned at her. They turned to face Cornello as he screamed when the fist of the statue came cashing down, narrowly missing him. "You've definitely improved since we were little." She said, smiling at him despite the situation.

"Of course I have." Ed said smugly. She rolled her eyes at his display of conceitedness. "So have you, though. Your reaction timing used to be terrible. It could still use some work but when you blocked that chimera with the wall was really good.

"Yay!" Morgan said happily. She was overtired, she'd gone without coffee for two days, and even though the situation at hand wasn't appropriate to be hyper in she was slightly hyper. They turned back to Cornello, Ed becoming serious again, and Morgan trying to will her excitedness away.

Cornello fell to his knees and Ed made his ay over to him. Morgan stayed where she was, feeling that it wasn't a very good thing that she was so twitchy and excited. "No!" The prophet said loudly, shielding the ring with his body and arms. "I won't let you have it! You can't take the stone from me!" He got up to run, but all of a sudden there was a bright flash of red light and the fake preacher fell to his knees, cradling his arm.

It was the second most disgusting thing Morgan had ever seen, second only to her dead parents' bodies. His arm seemed to be fused with metal and wires and looked strangely deformed.

"It's recoiling?" Ed voiced Morgan's thoughts as he ran over and knelt down by Cornello. "Let me see the stone!" He demanded. Cornello held out his arm and, as Ed looked at the stone, it cracked and shattered, pieces of it flying everywhere, hardly taking a solid shape.

No longer hyper, Morgan quickly jogged her way over to where Ed was. "Isn't the Philosopher's Stone a pure substance?" She asked herself. "If it is, it shouldn't be able to break like that."

"An imitation?" Ed asked aloud. He smirked bitterly as Morgan reached him. He got to his feet. "After all the trouble you put us through, even the _stone's_ a fake?!" Morgan took a step back, knowing what was about t come. _"Stop jerking me around!"_

* * *

The trio sat on the sidewalk of the bridge. Morgan fingered her once-again-safe pocket watch that was attached to her belt. "Just another wild goose chase," Ed said, "I thought for sure we'd get your body back this time."

"Don't be silly brother," Al said. "You'll be the first we fix. That automail's so tough on you."

"So, what did you think, Morgan?" Ed asked. "You still up for travelling with us?"

"Of course. I told you that back when we were running after Cornello. But you're gonna teach me how to fight, right? 'Cause, I don't think I'll live if I don't learn." She laughed, smiling at them as she combed her fingers through her tangled hair.

Ed smiled back and she knew that Al would be smiling too. "Alright then," Ed said. "Nothing to do now but start the search again." The three of them stood, turning to see Rose.

"Father Cornello gave us hope. "She said abruptly. "What right did you have to take that away from us? We had nothing before he came here!"

"Would you rather it go on like it was?" Ed asked softly. Morgan sighed, deciding that he felt bad for the people of Lior.

"Why not?!" She countered. "What do I have to live for now that I know Cain won't come back to me? Are you going to tell me?"

"_You_ have to decide that, Rose." Morgan said kindly as Rose dropped to her knees, tears welling up in her eyes. "He's not the only thing worth living for."

"Walk on your own," Ed added. "Move forward. You have a good, strong pair of legs there Rose. You should get up and use them." He turned away.

She and Al lingered a moment, Morgan listening as Al told her that there was still hope, that she could still believe. Morgan smiled empathetically at her before tuning and following Ed and Al.

* * *

"What's the meaning of this?" Cornello exclaimed, outraged. "That idiot boy was right; that wasn't the real stone!"

"Serves you right, you bastard!" Kaytie said harshly, punching him in the face. "You gave me your word that you wouldn't hurt Morgan!" Lust caught her hand before she could punch him again.

Kaytie flipped her red hair out of her face and used an elastic band around her wrist to tie it up into a messy bun. She backed away and sat, seeing the blood gushing from his broken nose made her extremely satisfied.

"Of course it was." Lust said silkily. "This village is nothing but bait. Soon, alchemists from all over the nation, who've searched for the stone their entire lives, will come flocking to me, then..."

"Cursed soul! Who are you really?! What are you after?" Kaytie laughed at his shocked expression.

"Lust, can I eat the old preacher?" Gluttony asked.

Kaytie turned away at the disgusting sight, covering her ears to block out the sound. She was just relieved that Morgan was okay. Although, she was just as worried as she was relieved because next time she wouldn't be there, just in case things got out of hand.

Hours later, Kaytie stared sadly out the window as she saw envy, or _'Cornello'_ , walk into the crowd, and perform a miracle. They had to resort to the back-up plan. Meaning, she'd be going to Dante's by herself It was a pity. "Now I won't even have Spikey there to entertain me..." She mumbled to herself.

Lust came and stood beside her, glancing at her with a knowing smirk that Kaytie really wished she hadn't seen. "Good Envy," She said staring down at the ground. "We'll have to ask you to keep that form for awhile." As if on cue, Envy turned and stared directly at the window they were watching from, smirking. Kaytie smirked back.

Lust turned to her, "This mean envy won't be coming with you to Dublith, but I'm sure you already know that." She said with the same knowing smirk. Kaytie nodded in understanding, once again wishing she hadn't seen it. "You leave tomorrow."


	15. Chapter 15

Authors' Notes:

Chibi-chan: We're back with another chapter! Are you happy?

Jin's Lady: Yes. I'm happy. Just get on with the disclaimer.

Chibi-chan: -Pouts- Fine, Envy, since you have so much to say in this chapter, you can have the pleasure of doing the disclimaer today.

Envy: -Sigh- -Rolls Eyes- Chibi-chan and Jin's Lady do not own anything to do with FMA, other than a copy of the movie and a few volumes of manga. They do, however, own this story and all the original characters in it.

Chibi-chan: Very good!

Jin's Lady: Yup. Thank-you to all those who reviewed the last chapter. Please, Read, Review, and Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 15: Dear Journal...**

_Property of_

_Kathryn Krimskii_

**_Keep Out!! Or Else!!!_**

_October 7th, 1915,  
Dear Journal,_

_...Hi. This is the fourth diary journal of Kaytie Krimskii. I hope that the only one who will ever read this will be me, but you never know. A hundred years from now someone could stumble across this and my many other journals and read all about the exciting life of Kaytie Krimskii, the Biohazardous Alchemist._

_I haven't written in a journal for a very long time- since the age of twelve, when I ran away from home. So, this being said, is extremely awkward for me to be writing down my personal thoughts._

_Before we get to those however, I think that a personal introduction is in order- seeing as I have for all my other journals._

_Name: Kaytie Krimskii __Age: 15  
Best Friend: Morgan Shaw  
Occupation: State Alchemist State Name: BioHazardous_

_That's as much as I'm willing to write down about my background in this journal. If you are a stranger who's reading this a hundred years from now, you'll just have to go back and crack the code on my other diaries, just like you had to with this one._

_But, getting back to the personal thoughts, I'm sitting between a rock and a hard place right now and it doesn't look like I'll be getting out anytime soon. Almost a month ago now, my boss, Roy Mustang, the renowned Flame Alchemist, gave me an assignment that promised to bring trouble. I knew I should have refused to take it; although it's not like I really had a choice in the matter. I couldn't refuse it because it was directly assigned from Furhrer Bradley. Therefore, I was stuck researching the failed attempts at human transmutation- that of course is forbidden._

_Homunculus, or the plural, Homunculi, was something I came across while I was researching. Ironically, or not-so-ironically, it depends on how you look at it, a pair of them showed up on my doorstep right after I'd kicked Roy out. Homunculi are the results of a failed human transmutation. They're soulless beings that lost after the Philosopher's Stone, seeking to become human- which is more that fitting seeing as they're named after the seven deadly sins._

_They pair who showed up at my apartment- Lust and Gluttony- were after to make them a Philosopher's Stone, but I'm not that stupid. I know it requires a mass amount of live humans to be sacrificed. Which I'm definitely not willing to do._

_I have agreed to help them, though. I'm helping them look for alternatives either to finding the stone, or finding a different way completely to becoming human._

_This is where the story gets a little bit complicated. The strange thing about all of this is that Furhrer Bradley knows that I'm helping them- in fact he's been quite encouraging. But, alas, I know what the reader from a hundred years later is thinking, 'There has to be a good reason for this', am I right? But of course there's a good reason- he's Pride._

_Yes, we have a homunculus at the head of out military. His secretary, who claims to be Juliet Douglas, is, in fact, Sloth. It took me a while to figure this out. I had recognized her from the inspection a while back. I still maintain that I've seen her somewhere before, other than the inspection I mean but I just can't put my finger on it._

_For all of the excitement of helping soulless beings find a way to become mortal, I'm bored. And this is the main reason for my starting this journal in the first place. So, whoever you are, Mr. hundred-years-in-the-future, you can be sure there'll be many more entries to come. But for now I have to go because an annoying pain-in-the-ass named Envy seems to find enjoyment in poking me. _

_Sincerely,_

_Kaytie Krimskii_

Kaytie swatted Envy's hand away for what seemed like the millionth time that day as she closed her journal and bound it with a black ribbon.

"Where did you get that?" Envy asked.

Kaytie twitched; she was in an especially foul mood seeing as Envy was only escorting her to Dante's then rushing back to fulfill his duties as the great prophet Cornello, who Kaytie knew to be dead- devoured by Gluttony.

There was silence in Kaytie and Envy's compartment on the train, save for the sound of the wheels moving along the tracks. "Sloth gave it to me." Kaytie answered after a moment. "She and Lust have this weird idea that if I write my thoughts down, I'll be able to come up with ideas about the Philosopher's Stone."

"Can I read it?" Envy asked again.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I said so," Kaytie answered, a tone of finality in her voice as she slipped the blue suede book into her backpack.

"Are you nervous?" Envy asked, a knowing smirk playing on his lips.

"You're nosy today, aren't you?" Kaytie said, skirting around the question. The truth was that she was so nervous that she had to stop herself from shaking like a leaf. Her stomach was doing continuous back flips and her palms were moist as she folded them in her lap. The only problem was that she wasn't sure why she was so nervous- she was fairly certain that it had nothing to do with meeting Dante. This part bothered her the most.

"You are _so_ nervous." Envy taunted.

Kaytie glared, "Just shut up. You're annoying."

Kaytie had ended up dozing off about an hour later, her head falling and resting upon Envy's shoulder. He glanced down at her and sighed.

He poked her. She didn't move. He poked her again. Still nothing. Sighing in defeat, he resumed his previous task- staring in boredom out the window. This is when this idea hit him- if she was sleeping, who was guarding her diary?

Envy slid her bag from her lap, where one arm was curled around it protectively. However, Kaytie being a heavy sleeper didn't notice anything and allowed her arm to fall limp at her side.

He rummaged around in it for a minute, doing his best not to move his right arm too much as not to wake the redhead. She'd, in lack of cuddling her bag to her chest, found comfort in using his arm as a replacement. He fished her suede diary out and slipped off her black ribbon.

Glancing to make sure Kaytie was still asleep, he let it fall open on his lap.

He stared at the words on the page, unable to comprehend what they said. The only thing he recognized was the date. "She writes her diary in code?" He wondered, staring at the girl in disbelief.

Realizing that he wasn't about to make any progress on cracking the code anytime soon, he quietly stuffed it back in her bag and slid the bag between her arms, in place of where his arm had been seconds previous.

Kaytie unconsciously snuggled closer to Envy, burying her face into his shoulder.  
Envy rolled his eyes and slumped slightly in his seat; this was going to be a long train ride.

* * *

Kaytie sat up with a start as the train jerked to a stop. "Ugh, what time is it? Are we there yet?" She asked. Upon hearing no one answer, she turned to her right. "Spikey?" Envy was nowhere in sight. She felt her heart drop into her stomach.

"Bastard," She said, clutching her bag, getting up as quickly as possible, and hoping to all that was holy that she didn't miss her stop. Then she remembered it was a one-way train. _'Pull yourself together!'_ She scolded herself.

Feeling scatter-brained and slightly disoriented from being asleep less than five minutes ago, she jumped onto the platform, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. The redhead blinked twice, trying to get her brain to un-fog itself. "I'll kill him," She muttered to herself after a minute of surveying her surroundings. "I have no idea where I'm going."

She sighed and made her way through the crowd to a bench. She sat down, pondering her next move.

Kaytie had never been to Dublith before and wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of wandering around, trying to find Dante's house. She sighed again, vowing to murder Envy if it was the last thing she did.

"Excuse me?" A curt voice cut into her thoughts on a particular maniacal way of killing Envy- she planned to- "Excuse me," The girl said a little bit more impatiently.

"Hi?" Kaytie said uncertainly, wondering if the girl was even talking to her. _'She can't be much older than me,'_ Kaytie decided. The stranger had jaw-length shiny black hair and violet eyes that seemed to draw people in. If Kaytie were standing, she was sure this girl would be slightly taller then her. The girl was wearing what looked to be a maid's dress. It was a dark blue and had ... ruffles. The stranger wore an apron and a matching headband. She kept her composure as Kaytie studied her; Kaytie didn't care who she was, she felt sorry for... She'd never be caught dead in ruffles.

"You're Kathryn Krimskii, are you not?" The girl asked.

"That depends on who's asking." Kaytie said, standing. She was right, the stranger was taller then her. She narrowed her eyes.

"I'm Lyra. Dante sent me to retrieve you." The stranger answered.

"How can I be sure you're not lying?" Kaytie asked. Morgan used to say she was paranoid. She was beginning to see why.

Lyra smirked, "I guess you'll just have to trust me."

Kaytie wrinkled her nose; they say first impressions are the most important ones people have to make. Her first impression of Lyra definitely wasn't a good one.

Kaytie fidgeted with the hem of her long-sleeved black shirt as she anxiously stood next to Lyra in front of an impossibly big house.

"Nervous?" Lyra asked, a smirk playing in her voice.

"Of course not," Kaytie replied haughtily. She smirked back. "I don't get nervous." She said, as if repeating an inside joke with herself.

"If you say so," Lyra said, the same knowing smirk that graced Envy's lips now apparent on hers.

For a brief moment, Kaytie's eyes widened in worry, just long enough for Lyra to notice, before her calm, cold demeanour snapped back into place. "I do say so," She said coldly. Inside, Kaytie was near close to panic. She reminded herself again that what she was thinking was impossible. _'I just met her.'_ She reassured herself. _'And Dante wouldn't tell anyone, the homunculi, save for Pride don't even know.'_ With these confident thoughts, she allowed herself to relax as much as it was possible for her.

Lyra smirked and turned away as Kaytie stared curiously at her back. Lyra unlocked the door and the both stepped inside. She followed Lyra up the staircase, observing her surroundings.

As they reached the hallway, Kaytie was struck with a repulsing thought, _'Ew, this reminds me of my mother's house!'_

_**'Of course it does,'**_ Her conscience answered passively. _**'Everyone knows you secretly wish you were at home right now. Somewhere warm, somewhere safe, somewhere where your secrets weren't in danger of being revealed.'**_

_'That's not my home.'_ Kaytie thought back, arguing with herself. _'My home is in Eastern. As for warm and safe, do you even remember what Mom was like?! You are me after all, so you should!'_ She scoffed to herself, making Lyra look at her weird. She didn't miss home. She missed Morgan, and possibly Roy (although she'd never admit it) but not home.

Lyra entered a set of doors and motioned for Kaytie to wait there. When she came back out, she flashed Kaytie half a smirk and said, "She's in there, have fun."

_'Yeah,'_ Kaytie mused, _'Fun.'_ Pushing the double doors open, Kaytie found herself looking into a handsomely furnished room. An old lady sat at a desk off to the right.

"Er... hi?" Kaytie said, unsure. "I'm Kathryn Krimskii. You're Ms. Dante, right?"

"Come in, dear," Dante answered, her voice sickeningly sweet. _**'Too much fake sweetener,'**_ Kaytie's conscience joked. _'I know,'_ Kaytie agreed. _'She even reminds me of Mom,'_

The redhead entered the room, letting the doors swing shut behind her. She sat in the chair Dante indicated, across from the woman. Her knees were pressed tightly together and her hands were folded in her lap; she was determined to seem as professional as possible. She raised her eyes to meet Dantes. Sadly, as she later recalled, the next things that flew out of her mouth weren't even close to professional.

"You know how I do my alchemy." Kaytie stated, her tone coming across as accusatory. "How do you know?"

Dante laughed, "Straight to the point, aren't you? Of course I know, you foolish girl. How did you become a State Alchemist? Pride, or as you know him Furhrer Bradley," She smiled slowly, "Knows, so naturally, he'd have told me."

Kaytie barely retained her gasp- of course! She was slipping lately and she couldn't afford to look stupid in front of Dante. "Does Lyra know?" She asked.

"Of course not!" Dante answered. "She's my _apprentice_." She answered. "She knows nothing."

Kaytie let out the breath she's been holding. _'She was just trying to intimidate me,'_

_**'And it worked, didn't it?'**_

_'Shut up,'_ Kaytie mentally composed herself. "I'm glad to meet you." She said, wincing mentally at how fake those words sounded. "Although, even though I'm pleased to meet you, I really have no idea why I'm here for so long if that's the only reason I'm here."

"It gives us a chance to get to know each other," The elderly woman answered. "Who knows, maybe you'll learn something new about your past that may interest you. On the other hand, maybe someone else's past, for that matter. I have a large library that you're welcome too, if you like."

_'My past...?'_ Something told Kaytie not to ask. She nodded.

Dante smiled a smile that she'd seen on her mother's lips far too many times "Lyra will take you to your room. She's waiting at the stairs."

Kaytie nodded, stood up, and left the room, breathing a sigh of relief. She stood for a moment, leaning against the door. _'I won't let her intimidate me like that again.' _She decided.

"Let's go," Lyra said as Kaytie reached the stairs.

_'Let's go,'_ Kaytie mentally mocked her. She followed her silently down the hallway.

"I was told by Dante to apologise." Lyra said, stopping in front of a wooden door. "So, I'm sorry for trying to intimidate you. Although, I don't think it worked anyway." She unlocked the door and handed Kaytie the key. "I'll see you around." Lyra said as she left.

Kaytie stepped into the room and clicked the door shut behind her. "Wow..." She said in awe. Like Dante's study, Kaytie's new room was handsomely furnished with a dark polished wooden bed frame around the bed and a dark red bedspread. The desk, dresser, and wardrobe were all made out of the same polished wood and the curtains that hung from the windows were the same rich red colour as the covers on her bed. On the window, there was a ledge, comfortably decorated with pillows, also rich red in colour, large enough to sit on. This particular fact made Kaytie very happy.

Kaytie turned to face the dresser and wardrobe, and sweatdropped. _'I won't be needing both of those,'_ She decided. Laughing slightly, she threw her bag on her bed. _'All of my clothes could probably fit in one drawer.'_ She thought to herself.

She dumped all of the contents out and spread them out on the blanket. She placed the shirts in the second drawer of the dresser (She had a grand total of three, other than the one she was wearing) and all her shorts and pants in the third drawer. Then she dumped all her undergarments into the first drawer. The only things left on her bed were her journal, her brush, toothbrush, and a bottle of water she'd bought on the train.

Kaytie stood for a moment, wondering what to do next, before deciding, just out of pure curiosity, she wanted to see what was in the wardrobe.

She pulled the doors open and sweatdropped, "If Dante thinks I'll be wearing this anytime soon, she's very much sorely mistaken." Kaytie said, reaching in and taking out the only article of clothing inside. It was a long, slinky black dress, very similar to Lust's. It was very low-cut in the front and had long sleeves that, had she tried it on, would have flowed and hung past her wrists. She wrinkled her nose and put it back in its place, no doubt to collect dust.

She decided to put her brush and other necessities on the top shelf of the wardrobe, seeing as there was a mirror in the back.

"Okay," She said to herself. "I'll finish that entry now."

She grabbed the journal and slipped the ribbon off. Immediately a white envelope fell out and she instantly recognized the nickname written on the front.

_Princess,_

Her heart leaped into her throat and her stomach was doing continuous back flips. She lifted it up and noticed the same writing in her journal on the page the envelope was hiding. She quickly plopped herself down at her new desk and set the envelope aside. Her green eyes fell to Envy's letter.

_Princess,  
You write your diary in code?! Sometimes I wonder if you're even more secretive than we are. Seriously, you're so silly sometimes._

_By this time, you're probably wondering two things; One: Why did I even bother writing you this letter? And Two: What the hell is in the envelope?! And this is where you pause and wonder how the hell I knew that. I'll wait until you finish thinking..._

Kaytie paused, "How the fuck did he know that?" She wondered aloud. In the next moment, in which she stared at the page incredulously, she'd decided she'd been spending way too much time with the palm tree look-alike; he was getting to know her ay too well. Her eyes found the letter again.

_Now, after all that hard thinking (ha-ha), Lust told me the other day that you pretty much have no clothes and you can't be walking around in your military uniform so we came up with what's in the envelope. Just buy yourself some clothes_.

Kaytie rolled her eyes; he was such a weirdo.

_...So, you fell asleep on the train,_ Envy wrote.As Kaytie read on she felt her face grow unusually hot. Her stomach did another back flip and she closed her eyes in embarrassment._ You seemed to feel the need to use my arm as a pillow. You snuggle in your sleep, did you know that? It was quite disturbing. I didn't know you were so affectionate towards me, Kaytie! _

"...Kill me now." Kaytie said to herself. "Since when do I cuddle in my sleep?!"

_But I didn't wake you up 'cause than I wouldn't have the chance to write this, now would I? By the way, do you have any idea how hard it is to write with someone clinging to your arm? Well, we're almost to Dublith so I'll see you when you get back._

_-Envy_

Kaytie sighed and willed the blush to fade from her cheeks, telling herself that he was crazy. She peaked into the envelope and saw that there was more than enough money to buy herself new clothes. "He's crazy." She said aloud.

Putting it aside for now, she flipped the page in her journal, deciding not to dwell on the fact that Envy wrote her a latter, because if she did, she'd lose any shreds of sanity she had left.

_Dear Journal,_

_I finally arrived at Dante's. Envy ditched me on the train while I was sleeping... I was cuddling his arm. He wrote me a letter! Jeeze, I can't get over it. Right at this very moment, I can feel my face burning in embarrassment. Ugh!_

_Moving on from that unfortunate fact, Dante reminds me of my mother. It's really quite disturbing. She also has an alchemy student living with her named Lyra. Obviously, she knows nothing of the homunculi but I still don't like her. She seems like she thinks she's above everyone, but then again, a lot of people dont' like me so who am I to talk?_

_Despite this being only my second entry, I've already changed my mind about how much information about myself I'm going to write in this particular journal. I've already written my name and most basic information about myself and I shall go on in detail about my past as this diary progresses. For now however, I think I will write about Lior, considering the whole point of this journal is for me to be brainstorming about the Philosopher's Stone._

_Lior is a godforsaken desert town out east in the middle of nowhere. After losing the fight against Lust and Gluttony, I found myself there, which is where I met Envy. It's also where I found out that our Furhrer Bradley is also Pride. Our military is so corrupt it's unbelievable._

_The homunculi kept me in the dark for about three weeks- literally in the dark. I had no idea where I was; all I knew was that the homunculi- Lust, Gluttony, Envy, and Sloth were the only ones I knew at the time- had taken me somewhere, shoved me in a dark room, and wouldn't turn the light on. Envy and I called it the Dark Room. It kinda reminds me of the White Room at Mom's back in Risembool, just the opposite._

_I finally found out who Pride was in my third week of isolation (Well, it wasn't really isolation because most of the time Envy was there, but really, staying in one room for so long can drive someone insane). Envy woke me up and took me to another room inside the church (although at this point, I didn't know it was a church). We sat in that room for what seemed like hours before Sloth walks in, followed by Furhrer Bradley. So, trying to be logical, I warned him about the homunculi. And what does he do? He laughs. He laughs!_

_Nothing could compare to my shock at that moment, upon finding out the head of the homunculi, other than Dante, is also the head of the military. About half an hour later is when I found out I was in Lior._

_Even though I'd met Pride, I was still only allowed limited freedom. Basically, since Sloth left to go back with Pride, all of my time was either spent with Envy, or Lust and Gluttony._

_It was about a week or so later that I happened to be looking out the window to see Ed, Al, and Morgan._

_Now, Morgan's been living with me for six month, ever since she became a State Alchemist. She's sarcastic, she's innocent, she's bubbly, she's loud, and she's so not cut out for any type of adventure that would involve putting her life in danger. Edward and Alphonse Elric however, are in constant danger. They're also searching for the Philosopher's stone, in order to restore themselves. So, logically, I was extremely worried that she'd end up dead._

_How Morgan ended up travelling with the Elrics I have yet to find out but she's way to oblivious to actually be of any use, so she really shouldn't be with them. I swear, I'll murder Ed in an extremely painful way if any harm comes to her._

_Back on topic, it turns out they were tracking down the fake Philosopher's Stone that the false prophet Cornello had. Envy and I were observing them fight with a chimera and I have to say, I wish Morgan had accepted my offer when I wanted to teach her how to fight because she definitely needs to learn._

_I tried to help them but Envy held me back. He actually sat on top of me God damnit! _

As she wrote this, Kaytie felt her face flush at the memory. Her stomach did a back flip and it felt as if all the butterflies that had been sleeping in her stomach woke up and decided to start fluttering around.

_... This is going to sound weird but I can't get him outta my head! Seriously, I can't stop thinking about him and it's driving me nuts! I haven't even been gone for that long- maybe two hours, not even. And when I found out he wasn't coming with me to Dante's, I almost felt disappointed._

_I didn't think it was still possible._

_Sincerely,_

_Kaytie Krimskii_

Kaytie slipped the envelope into her journal, and, pondering the last thought written in her journal, sighed; she was so confused.


	16. Chapter 16

Authors' Notes:

Chibi-chan: Hiya! We're back!

Jin's Lady: You told me to remind you to respond to a review or something ... I wasn't really listening.

Chibi-chan: Oh yeah! Thank-you for the review, Wings of Wax! You didn't sign in so I thought I'd thank you here ... about the waiting a month to update ... I felt so bad after your review that I started chapter 16 that night, lol. However, it was a month yesterday since we've updated. So now I'm going to apologise! I just finished exams yesterday (math was horrible... It made me sad. I went in with a 77 so I don't know how well I did. Gha! And my science mark went down toooooo!) which is the main reason that we haven't been updating. But we will definitely not discontinue this story! No matter how unmotivated we are (we _are_ still motivated by the way) we will continue to write!

Jin's Lady: 0.o That was a really long rant thingy. Oh, and thank-you to everyone else who reviewed also.

Chibi-chan: Yes, well, onto the disclaimer! Ed!

Ed: Why is it always me? -Sigh- Chibi-chan and Jin's Lady do not own anything to do with FullMetal Alchemist. They do, however, own Morgan and Kaytie.

Jin's Lady: Thank-you. Read, Review, and Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 16: Kicked Out

_Six-year-old Morgan Shaw coughed. Her face was flushed a deep red and she had a fever of 102.3 degrees. Her brown bangs clung to her forehead and the blankets were drawn up to her neck._

_Morgan?" A small voice entered the room. Ed slowly made his way to her bed. "You're sick, aren't you?" He asked._

_Morgan nodded, pouting. "I blame you." She stated, her voice cracking slightly. "Mom says I caught it from you last week."_

_Ed's eyes widened and a light blush stained his cheeks, "I'm sorry!" He said frantically, leaning onto the brunette's bed slightly. "I didn't mean to!"_

_Morgan broke off into another string of coughs. "That's okay," She said, a smile on her face. "I was only joking. I don't blame you." She pulled the covers up higher and rolled from her back to her side to face her best friend._

_"But you're Morgan!" He exclaimed loudly. Morgan had to 'shhh' him as not to attract the attention of her parents. "You aren't supposed to get sick," He continued in a softer voice, looking worried._

_Morgan started laughing, which lead to more coughing. When she caught her breath, she smiled, "Silly," She said. "Everyone gets sick sometimes."_

_Ed looked sceptical, "Are you sure?"_

_Morgan nodded, yawning and rubbing at her eyes tiredly. "Will you stay with me?" She asked quietly. "Please?!" She begged._

_Ed nodded, a massive blush spreading across his face. Morgan grabbed his hand and his face, if possible, turned even redder._

_She yawned again, coughing slightly, "Holding hands is supposed to make you feel better." She explained, struggling to keep her eyes open._

_"'Kay," Ed said. "I'll stay here 'till you wake up."_

_Morgan smiled, "Yay!" She exclaimed weakly. "That way, when I wake up, you'll be the first thing I see."_

_Ed's face grew hot again and he sighed, trying to will the blush to fade from his cheeks. He was glad that Morgan fell asleep the instant she closed her eyes. He sat at the edge of her bed and sighed again – emotions were troublesome._

The train lurched forward, sending Morgan Shaw tumbling from her seat and onto the floor.

"That was graceful," Ed said, raising an eyebrow as Al rushed to help Morgan up. She groaned, rubbing her head.

"You're a jerk," The brunette said as she got to her feet. "Stupid train," She muttered darkly. "Ruined my dream..."

"Dream?" Ed echoed, smirking. "And what was this dream about, hmmm?"

"Mmm..." Morgan hummed thinking. "I don't feel like telling you." She sat back in her seat, crossing her legs and smirking back.

"Oh? And you say _I'm_ the jerk." Ed countered.

"Yes. Yes you are."

Al sighed, not even bothering to ask them not to bicker – he was sorta used to it, now that Morgan was travelling with them. "Guys-"

"Are we almost there yet?" Morgan asked, annoyed that she'd been woken up.

"No!" Ed answered. "What's your problem?" He asked. "Ever since we left Aquroya you've been so bitchy."

**"I am not bitchy."** Morgan said tensely.

"Suuuure," Ed said. "You are too and you know it."

Morgan pouted and crossed her arms over her chest again, opting to ignore the blond in front of her. He was right, though. Even she had to admit she'd been i bitchy /i , as he'd put it. But it wasn't her fault! It was his fault ... Okay so it wasn't _really_ his fault but he was easy to blame.

_Morgan watched as Ed and Psiren stood on gondolas in the middle of the river. "I'm freezing over here," She muttered to herself. "I wish he'd hurry up." She watched as they stood talking for a moment, annoyed at the fact that she didn't have a part in this plan. It bothered her because she felt unneeded. She sighed, sitting, hidden in the bushes. Morgan stared at her feet._

'You knew it would happen,' _A voice in her head said to her._ 'I did not!' _She argued with herself. Even at the thought, she began to blush, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks._

_She liked Ed. As in more than a friend._

_There was no way getting around it. This is the reason she was so angry. He, on the other hand, was probably confused beyond belief as to why she was being such a bitch._

_Denial, Anger, and Acceptance – these were the three stages that experts say the average person goes through when deciding things such as this. Morgan was sure average. The denial has been happening since Lior, she knew. Just the thought of him without his shirt caused her face to flush. Although she refused to believe that this was the only reason she liked him. Anger seemed to be the stage she was stuck in. He was her best friend! No one's supposed to like their best friend! Acceptance was a stage that looked like it wouldn't be coming for awhile._

_She sighed, letting her head fall forward and her bangs to cover her eyes. This is when she heard the splash. The brunette's head shot up and her brown eyes searched for the two gondolas. One was upright, the one containing Psiren, and the other was flipped and Ed was nowhere to be seen._

_Her eyes widened and a panic swept through her body._ 'He can't swim with his automail!'_ She thought instantly. Her first instinct was to dive in and find him but the Morgan who actually had common sense told her that was not the brightest idea._

'He'll think of something...' _She thought, trying to be optimistic. She stood there anxiously as the seconds that felt like minutes ticked by._

_Something shot out of the water – a hand! Morgan's eyes traveled up with it, watching the hand close around Psiren's boat and drag her downward. "I never cease to be amazed at his alchemy," She said to herself, before remembering that he was stuck in the water. "Shoot!"_

_Morgan took off running toward the carriage that would be used to hold Psiren, or Clara as they'd found out. She claimed to be fundraising for a whole bunch of buildings that were supposed to be demolished but then she disappeared only to get a new job wherever convenient for her. She, Ed, and Al were told by someone selling the paper that she did it for the town, so that they'd have tourists again. She pushed the bushes and tall grass that surrounded the river out of her way as she quickly made her way to where Al and the Detective William, the one investigating and trying to capture Psiren, were._

_When she got there, the sight that met her eyes was relieving. Ed was being handed a towel and Psiren was handcuffed. The last part made her a little sad – _'Psiren shouldn't really have to go to jail.' _She thought._

_Not caring that he was soaking wet, Morgan hugged him fiercely. "I will kill you myself if you ever make me worry like that again." She said, her voice slightly muffled by his shirt. "What do you think I was thinking when I saw you fall in the water? You can't swim with your automail!"_

_Ed rolled his eyes, hugging her back lightly, "You know you're getting yourself soaked, right?" Morgan chose to ignore that question._

_"Morgan, Edward!" She heard Detective William say. Morgan released Ed from her death grip and the three of them turned to face him. "I just wanted to say thank-you, FullMetal, Aquatic-" Morgan flinched at her State Name- "err...Al. This town owes you three a lot. You saved it." He said._

_Morgan scoffed; she didn't even do anything!_

_"Your welcome," Ed and Al replied in unison._

_The trio when to turn away, "Wait!" They heard. This time it was Clara. "I have to tell you something about the Philosopher's Stone. Go to a town named Xenotyme. A man there is trying to decipher its components. That's all I can tell you." She said then turned to Ed and kissed his cheek. "See you around," She said winking as he turned a shade of red that could rival even the reddest red apple. Detective William rolled his eyes and helped her into the carriage._

_Morgan's jaw almost dropped but thankfully, she had a little more self-control than that. Her eye twitched as she felt an unfamiliar pang of jealousy. "Come on, Morgan," Ed said, sighing. She followed him silently, lagging behind him and Al somewhat._

_"Crushes are troublesome." She muttered quietly._

She stuck to that – crushes were troublesome. She'd resigned herself to never ever telling him and the fact that it would eventually go away. Why? Because no one is supposed to like their best friend. And if she told him, it'd probably just make him feel uncomfortable seeing as there was no way in hell he felt that same way about her.

"Wanna play? Ed asked, snapping Morgan out of her reverie. He was shuffling a deck of cards.

"Play what?" She asked.

"Poker," He answered, smirking as if to challenge her.

Morgan snorted, "No thanks," She said. "I think I'll pass."

* * *

"Help me dear God." Kaytie said. She was lying back on her bed, trying not to die of boredom. Dante said that there'd be plenty to do. She was wrong. The only thing Kaytie could do was sit in her room and read, which she'd neglected to do for fear of actually finding something out about herself that she didn't want to know, or hang out with Lyra - another thing she really didn't want to have to resort to doing.

She turned and flopped onto her stomach. It was noon and she was still in her pyjamas. That was another thing she'd neglected to do - actually go shopping. Kaytie hated shopping and she had since she was little when her mother used to take her clothes-shopping twice a year in Central City. That fact wasn't about to change anytime soon.

Maybe she would go to the library, just to check out what was there... she probably wouldn't find anything worth knowing anyway. Besides, what would Dante have about _her_ in her library? Other than the fact that she was the BioHazardous Alchemist, of course.

She quickly changed into a long-sleeved grey shirt and black pants and ran a brush through her hair then made her way downstairs and into the room that Lyra had told her was the library. As soon as she entered, she knew she'd been stupid about not going in earlier - especially after being there almost a week.

The library was stacked with books. There were rows and rows of bookcases that were made out of a dark, rich, polished wood and were almost over-flowing with novels and texts. To the right of the room was an area that was obviously meant for reading, seeing as there were comfy chairs and coffee tables together in front of a window. And to the left of the room there were tables and chairs that were obviously meant for studying. Kaytie could see Lyra's textbooks spread out across one of the tables and vaguely wondered if Dante was a tough teacher. She glanced at the ceiling - it was huge! And there was a second floor!

Pushing that thought out of her mind for the moment, she stared at the library in awe. "It's almost as big as Central's." She said aloud to herself. Kaytie made her way to the first shelf. "I'll study for an hour and then I'll go shopping." She said, a note of gloom apparent in her voice as she picked out the first book she saw that she hadn't already read that had to do with alchemy. _A Intermediate Guide to Advanced Alchemy by Elizabeth Knox,_ Kaytie shrugged. She'd never heard of Elizabeth Knox before, which was surprising seeing as she used to read every alchemy book she could get her hands on, and she already knew most of the stuff that would be in _An Intermediate's Guide_ but maybe this new author could provide a different perspective on things. She snorted and rolled her eyes, "Yeah right."

* * *

Dante stood on the upper level of the library, looking down at Katherine Krimskii. Although she had an aging body, her eyes were as sharp as ever and when Kaytie sat at the nearest chair, almost directly under her, she could read the title of the book she held quite easily. _A Intermediate Guide to Advanced Alchemy by Elizabeth Knox_, it was curious as to why Kaytie would pick such a book when she already knew it's contents. Or maybe it was because she was simply drawn to it.

She watched as Kaytie gathered her red hair in her hand and tossed it into a messy ponytail. Dante smirked, retreating away from her new houseguest. She'd probably find that Elizabeth Knox had quite was way of wording things and an interesting point of view.

* * *

Morgan sighed, standing as the train came to a stop. "I hate trains." She announced.

"How can you hate trains?" Ed argued, "You were asleep three-quarters of the way here."

Al and Morgan sighed in unison, but for different reasons. Al could fully see the blush starting to form on Morgan's cheeks. She was never a good liar. There was this one time he remembered from when they were about six or just when he and Morgan turned seven. They had gone down to the river to play and Morgan had been afraid to swim because she was sure she'd be swept away by the current. "It's alright," Ed had said. "Unless you're chicken that is!"

Morgan had puffed up like a blowfish, her cheeks turning red in anger, "I am not chicken!" She'd said. But they could both tell she was. When Ed had dared her to jump in, Al had said he was mean, knowing he'd called Morgan's bluff. Morgan's look of confidence had suddenly disappeared and her smirked dropped. This was when she had started stuttering, "Wh-what?" She'd asked.

Al would have been surprised if Morgan was able to keep her secret more that two weeks – if even that long. She was horrible with secrets. When she was little she'd always give Ed and Al their presents away before their birthdays. He laughed to himself, Morgan was obvious and his brother was completely oblivious.

"Where are we again?" Morgan asked.

"Xenotyme," Ed answered, throwing her an annoyed look. He knew she was trying to annoy him on purpose. It was payback for waking her up several times on the train.

"Right," Morgan said. Her chocolate brown eyes surveyed the landscape - there was nothing there. "This is a mining town isn't it?" She asked.

She never got an answer. "Help!" A small voice screamed.

"Give me a hand!" Another deeper voice said just as loudly.

Morgan whirled around, searching for the source of the noise. "Oh my God!" She exclaimed, her hands flying up to her mouth, gasping in shock. A little girl, crying, trapped under an overturned cart. A slight crowd had gathered, trying to get it off her. Thank goodness, it hadn't squished her. "Ed, do something!" She said loudly, but he and Al were already rushing forward.

"Daddy, get me out!" The little girl said, her voice strained. Morgan could see that her face was smeared with dirt and tear streaked.

"Just lay still for a moment," Ed said calmly.

Morgan watched as they freed her using alchemy, a sick feeling in her stomach. It reminded her of Alicia and Celina. What if Alicia or Celina had been with Morgan and something awful like that had happened? She would have never forgiven herself.

She followed Ed and Al silently, promising herself that she'd never let anything happen to Alicia. The people crowded around the little girl had invited Ed and Al over for dinner. Ed had tried to refuse but it seemed they were intent on thanking them. i 'She'll stay with Grandma,' /i Morgan thought. i 'Or Sam,' /i She added as an afterthought.

"Are you okay?" Al asked, slowing so that he was walking in line with Morgan. Her face was chalk-white. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Morgan swallowed, "I'm fine," She said, sighing. "Just tired. Ed woke me up, like, seven times, you know."

Al chuckled, "You know how Brother's like." He said.

Morgan smiled, "Sadly," She agreed.

"What's sadly?" Ed asked, raising an eyebrow at the two of them.

"Nothing," Morgan said suspiciously.

Ed narrowed his eyes, "Sure. Just know, I'll find out. You better not have been talking about me."

Morgan laughed loudly, a light blush gracing her cheeks. "You have such an ego," She said.

Ed pouted, "I do not."

* * *

Kaytie set her book down, disgusted. Why did everything in this house remind her of her mother? It was like a conspiracy. She rolled her eyes, staring down at the book's cover, '_Elizabeth Knox, yeah right.'_

She yawned loudly, deciding to go out and actually explore Dublith, as she'd been lazy so far and hardly left her room. Heading through the many hallways to the entrance, she found Lyra waiting at the door. Kaytie eyes her suspiciously.

"Ms. Dante said that you'd want a shopping companion around this time and told me to be ready." Lyra explained.

"What?!" Kaytie asked, now thoroughly confused. "How did she know I was going to go out?"

Lyra shrugged in response, slipping on her shoes. Kaytie rolled her eyes, great. Now she was stuck with Lyra. Could her day get any better?

Pulling her only sweater over her head, Kaytie stuffed her sneakers on and headed out the door, not waiting for Lyra.

"Okay," Kaytie said. "Where do we go?"

Lyra laughed, "All the shops are this way," She said leading Kaytie away from the house.

Kaytie groaned, "Do we have to go shopping?" She asked. "I hate shopping."

"Dante said you might say that." Lyra said. "But she says the clothes you wear now are unsuitable for anything."

Kaytie sighed, "Lead the way then." She said.

The pair went to almost every clothing store in Dublith, not finding anything good. Kaytie was fussy when it came to spending money and it didn't help that Lyra kept sighing. However, Kaytie did find that they had the same taste in clothing. Finally, they came to the last store, only two bags clutched in Kaytie's hand. They held a long-sleeved low-cut black top that flared out at the wrists and a pair of black slacks.

Kaytie entered, followed by Lyra. "You have to bye a few things here," Lyra insisted. Kaytie rolled her eyes again.

She sighed, deciding she better look around the store. The she saw it. It... was beautiful.

Kaytie had never been attracted to dresses before but this one caught her eye and wouldn't let go. It was long and black. The front was low-cut and laced down her chest and stomach. It flared at the wrists and hips slightly and if Kaytie had tried it on, it would have easily touched the floor.

_'I'll come back for it,'_ She thought, _'When Lyra's not with me. After all, Envy sure left me enough money.'_

She bought three pairs of pants, two of them blue and the other black, and three tops, one white, one red, and one black.

* * *

The people had insisted on giving Morgan, Ed and Al food. She tried to refuse but they wouldn't hear it. She ate because she'd feel rude to just leave it there.

"So," Elissa, the girl Ed had saved, asked. "What are you, your girlfriend, and your metal daddy doing in Xenotyme?"

Ed and Al burst into laughter, "She's not my girlfriend!" He laughed, snorting at the thought as Morgan flushed hotly. Only Al caught the scornful look Morgan sent Ed. "And he'd not my Dad, he's my younger brother." Ed was laughing so hard he had to clutch his sides as if they'd burst if he let go.

"But... but he's too short to be the older brother!" Elissa exclaimed.

Ed went white and scowled playfully.

Just then, the front door swung open and everyone fell silent.

"Uncle!" Elissa's small voice broke through the silence as she started to flounce over to see the man standing in the doorway. He had a long, pale face that was surrounded with long black hair. Her father caught her arm, "No Elissa." He turned to her uncle. "Haven't you caused enough trouble already? You could have gotten my daughter killed!" He yelled.

The man standing at the door looked away, his face filled with sadness. "I am sorry..." He said. Sighing, he placed a fresh bowl of lemons on the coffee table. He left without another word.

Elissa's father turned back to her, "Why did you agree to go with him, Elissa?" He asked angrily. "Why did you agree to go with uncle Velcio?"

Elissa's big blue eyes were tearful. "But Daddy! I'm the one who begged him to let me go with him! Uncle Velcio told me that you made the best lemon pies, but ever since the people took our crops, you haven't made any pies! But I thought that if I helped, maybe I'd get to taste some." She said, near the verge of tears.

Her father sighed, "I'm sorry, Elissa. I shouldn't have yelled." He said, hugging her.

Morgan, Ed, and Al looked away, slightly embarrassed at the father-daughter moment. A few minutes later, the silence broke and they realized that the three were still there.

"I'm so sorry!" The father quickly apologised. "Please give us the names of our saviours."

Ed smirked proudly, "This is Morgan Shaw, the Aquatic Alchemist, and I'm Edward Elric, the FullMetal Alchemist! This is my younger brother Al..." He trailed off when he saw that they were looking at them furiously.

"The Elric brothers ... The hero of the people? _Kick them out_!" Elissa's father said loudly. "We don't have room for impostors! The real Elric brothers came her _days_ ago to help Mugiar at the laboratory."

Morgan narrowed her eyes, "What?" She asked. How could the _real_ Elric brothers be staying in that town if she was standing right beside the real Elric brothers? "That can't be-" She started.

"Don't bother," Ed said, taking her arm and leading her outside. "They would have kicked us out if we hadn't left anyway." He explained.

Morgan shivered in the cold. It was already dark out and she was thoroughly annoyed with Ed. "Ugh! Then where are we supposed to stay?" She exclaimed angrily.

"How should I know?" Ed threw back.

"Well we can't just sit here and do nothing!" Morgan threw her hands up into the air and spun around in frustration. "I-I can't just sit here!"

"Well what do you propose we do?" Ed asked mockingly. "We can't do anything until tomorrow anyway. Tomorrow night we'll go and break into the laboratory..." He insisted.

"I'm going right now." Morgan said stubbornly

**"What?!"** Ed and Al said in unison. Morgan hadn't expected Al to object also... "You don't know how to so anything!" Ed said. "I haven't even had time to teach you how to spar yet! There's a reason Al and I kept you out of the plan in Aquroya, you know."

Morgan whipped around to face Al, "You said it was all Ed's idea!" She exclaimed.

"W-well, I might have had an opinion..."

"Ugh! I don't care what you say! If you show up at the door, they'll know it's you! But _no one's_ even heard of me! As long as I don't tell them my last name, they won't have any idea who I am. That way, I can get the information, and, when you break in or whatever, you'll already have someone in there to help you." She argued.

"No." Ed said. "You're still forgetting that you have no idea how to fight."

"So? This has nothing to do with that. Believe it or not, I'm pretty good with theory work – it's the actual practice I have trouble with. All I need to do is gather information – which I know how to do." Morgan quickly continued before Ed could interrupt, "I'm going. I came with you to help you, not just sit around, and cause you more work."

Ed bit his lip; did she not realize that she was causing him more work by arguing with him? "Fine." He said unenthusiastically. "I suppose you passed the State Exam for a reason." He sighed. "But at least wait. That way you have less of a possibility of getting lost."

Morgan chose to ignore that insult. She beamed; finally, she'd be able to be of some help!

The trio sat at the top of a nearby hill. Ed cut up lemons for him and Morgan to eat.

Morgan just about jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. She spun around to see whose it was. A long pale face surrounded with long black hair stared back at her. "You kids shouldn't be out here. I wouldn't be able to sleep if I knew you three were sleeping outside. Come, you can stay with me." The man who Elissa's father had introduced as Velcio said.

He led them to a house just outside of the city. "The man you met earlier, Elissa's father, he's my brother." He explained as he started washing the dishes in his kitchen. It was a small house and it made Morgan feel comfortable.

"Oh." Ed said. "You two are so different – it's hard to believe you're brothers."

Morgan rolled her eyes – did he not see the difference between himself and Al? They were as different as day and night.

"You two are the one's impersonating the Elric brothers, right?" Mr. Velcio asked, looking toward Ed and Al.

"No we're the real ones." Ed explained. "I don't think the one impersonating me has an automail arm." He said lifting his sleeve to show some of the shiny metal.

"Oh, I understand; not that I've been in a similar situation, mind you." He said.

"So you believe us?" Al said excitedly.

"Nope. But if you're using their names, you must have a good reason."

"Oh." Al deflated slightly.

Morgan, who was dozing off on the couch sprang up when she heard something crash to the floor, shattering. She whipped around to see that Mr. Velcio had dropped a plate. He was doubled over, gasping for air.

Ed and Al rushed over to him. Morgan stayed where she was, watching worriedly as his coughing slowed and colour returned to his cheeks. Ed handed him a glass of water.

"The people of Xenotyme have developed terrible coughs." He explained, taking a sip of the water. "Your room is upstairs. Go to sleep. I will be fine."

Morgan slid off the couch and followed Ed and Al upstairs. She yawned.

"No time to be tired, Morgan." Ed said. "You're the one who was all anxious to go information gathering."

"Yeah," She answered fuzzily. "Tomorrow," She lay down on one of the beds and curled up into a ball.

"Change of plans," He said. "We strike at midnight."


	17. Chapter 17

Authors' Notes:

Chibi-chan: Hey! This chapter's a little bit shorter than what we've been posting lately -coughChaptersThirteenToSixteencough- but it definitely gets what I want out. -Grins Evily-

Jin's Lady: This is one time I agree with Chibi-chan. This is the chapter where you all go "What the hell?!"

Chibi-chan: -Cackles- I actually had this typed up and finished a week ago but then I got distracted with the seventh Harry Potter book and such... -Coughs- Anywhoo, Mrs. Krimskii, why don't you do the disclaimer?

Mrs. Krimskii: You're giving me another shot? Fine. Chibi-chan and Jin's Lady do now own FMA in anyway shape or form. However, they do own Morgan and Kaytie.

Jin's Lady: Thank-you. Read, Review, and Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 17: Lies

Kaytie sat up from her spot lying on her bed and checked the clock. It was 11:50 exactly. It was almost time.

She swung her feet off the bed and tossed her messy red hair into a bun. She tiptoed out of her room and down the stairs to the hallway. Slipping on her shoes, she was careful not to shut the door too hard behind her.

She was going to get that dress.

Kaytie registered dully that the sentence coming from her sounded strange but dismissed the thought. The wind whipped the loose strands of hair that had fallen out of her bun around her shoulders and into her face. She pulled her sweater closer around her, suddenly wishing she'd thought to bring a jacket.

Kaytie ran all the way to the store in an attempt to stay warm. _'It's a good thing they're open this late,'_ She thought as she quickly looked around to see if anyone was watching her. _'Maybe I am paranoid... I gotta stop listening to Morgan.'_ The street was deserted.

Kaytie quickly entered the shop and bought the dress, feeling silly.

* * *

Morgan sighed as she followed closely behind Ed. "This place is packed with security," She muttered. "How do you expect to get in?"

Al sighed, wondering the same thing. But he knew Ed better then anyone. He knew he'd think of something.

"Shhh," He said to Morgan. "Do you want to attract attention?" Then he smirked. "As for getting in..." He trailed off and slapped his hands against one of the stonewalls that were in front of them. A blue light flashed and when Morgan opened her eyes, the wall had a nice large hole large enough for all three of them to fit through.

"That's how." He said, calmly making his way through the gaping lack of wall.

Morgan rolled her eyes and followed quietly, Al clanking as he walked behind her. She looked around and even though it was dark, she could still tell where she was. "It's a library." She stated.

"Thank-you, Captain Obvious," Ed said sarcastically. "Well, look around." He said.

"Brother!" Al exclaimed, holding up a book. "If you look, most of the books here are about the Philosopher's Stone."

"Yeah," Ed agreed. "I know. So this is where they're probably try-"

"What are you three doing in here?!" Someone asked. Morgan whipped around to face a tall blond boy who easily towered over her and Ed. The light was flicked on and Morgan's eyes quickly darted over to a little boy who was half hiding behind the taller one. _'Whoa,'_ Morgan thought, her face heating up ever so slightly. _'He's really cute ... Gha! You haven't even met him yet!!!!'_ She thought furiously. She hid behind Al.

Ed's face was screwed up in anger, "We should be asking you that!" He said loudly. "Mind explaining why you're using our names?" He shouted as Morgan watched the smaller boy hid behind who she assumed was his older brother. He also had blond hair and huge blue eyes.

The older boy ignored Ed's question. "I'm going to assume that you two," He pointed to Ed and Al, "Are the real Elric brothers. You must be the FullMetal Alchemist," Said the stranger, looking straight at Al. "You certainly look it, being dressed in armour."

If it weren't for the seriousness of the situation, Morgan would have burst out laughing. The look on Ed's face was priceless. It was scrunched up in disgust. "Damn right, we're the Elric brothers," He said loudly. "And, for the record, _I'm_ Edward Elric, the FullMetal Alchemist. Why does everyone think _he _is anyway?!" He asked angrily.

This was too much for Morgan – she did burst out laughing. Ed glared at her and she doubled over, trying to stop laughing and catch her breath.

"I'm sure you'd like to know who this is," Ed said, watching as Morgan attempted to calm herself down. "Morgan Shaw, the Aquatic Alchemist."

It was Morgan's turn to glare now, "You're a jerk," She said quietly.

In another minute, Ed and the older boy pretending to be Ed were fighting. Morgan backed up against the wall with Al. "How much you wanna bet we get in really big trouble for this?" Morgan asked absently.

* * *

Kaytie sighed as she slipped up to her room, the dress in hand. She softly clicked the door shut and breathed another sigh of relief.

Tossing the dress carelessly onto her bed, she quickly locked her door and stripped down. She put the dress on carefully and opened her wardrobe to look in the mirror.

She was right; the dress easily swept the floor. It complemented her hair nicely and shined in the dull light.

She exhaled in another sigh of relief. It fit. She took off the dress and quickly changed into her pyjamas, placing the dress in her wardrobe with the one Dante expected her to wear. She turned out the light and got into bed.

What was she going to use the dress for anyway? It's not like she ever went out anywhere fancy enough to need to wear a dress. Even when she wasn't kidnapped, she hadn't gone out anywhere fancy enough for it. In fact, she avoided places like that _because_ they required her to dress up. Feeling very silly and wondering if she just wasted a large amount of money, she fell asleep.

* * *

"An automail arm?" The impostor-Ed voiced upon seeing Ed's arm. "You've obviously seen your fair share of pain."

"Obviously," Ed sneered. "At least you have some skills – I wouldn't want you damaging my reputation now, would I?"

"So do you," The mystery boy said. He turned and grabbed his brother's arm, tugging and motioning him to follow before running off.

"Coward!" Ed called as he made a grab at him. He missed however when ground began to rise, Ed was hit in the face and he went flying in the opposite direction.

Making a split-second decision, Morgan followed them. "Morgan!" Al called. "Where are you going?"

Morgan turned, now running backward, and winked at him, "Ugh, Just leave me alone!" She said in a would-be hurtful voice – if she'd been able to lie it might have been more convincing. Al knew she was following them, probably to spy. He just hoped that she'd be able to figure out _how_ to lie before they caught on to what she was doing.

He helped his brother up, "Thanks Al," Ed said, brushing the dirt off his clothes and glaring in the general direction that Morgan and the impostors had gone. "I hope she knows what she's doing," Ed said quietly. "In any case," Ed continued. "We better get out of here before the cops decide to pay us a visit." He limped toward the exit.

"Are you okay?" Al asked. "You're limping."

"I'm Fine ... Ouch!"

"You are not!" Al scolded, heaving Ed onto his back. Ed sighed.

* * *

She caught up with them fairly quickly, the only downside was that she now had a stitch in her side and was breathing quite heavily. She sighed; she really should get Ed to teach her how to spar soon, it might help her to get more in shape. Morgan followed them quietly.

Or ... she thought she followed them quietly anyway,

The older boy whipped around and caught her.

_'Great going Morgan,'_ She thought, sweatdropping. _'The one thing you convince Ed you can do alone, you manage to screw up. Lovely.'_

"Aren't you the Aquatic Alchemist?" The older asked. The girl in front of him – Morgan Shaw, was it? – looked like a deer caught in headlights. She sweatdropped. Her shoulder length brow hair clung to her forehead with sweat, probably from chasing them, and she was dressed head-to-toe in blue.

"Maybe?" This is the point that Morgan wished she had the ability to lie. Not that it would have mattered much if she did – they had already seen her with Ed and Al. _'Come on, Morgan! Kaytie taught you how to lie, not that you paid much attention but some of it must have stuck!'_

"Yeah," She said after a moment's pause, effectively cutting off the older impostor. "I'm Morgan Shaw, the Aquatic Alchemist." She stopped and waited for one of them to say something.

"I suppose the Elrics sent you," said impostor-Ed.

Morgan scoffed, hopping that she was being convincing. "I ran into them at the train station. I recognized them because one of my close friends works with them a lot." _'Yeah, right,'_ Morgan thought._ 'Kaytie working with Ed? Only if hell froze over.'_ "But that's not why I'm here. Anyway, I'm a friend of Mugiar's and he requested that I come and help you, as he knew my parents."

Wincing inwardly, she hoped they bought it. "Of course," She added, "He said that you were the _real_ Elric brothers ..." She trailed off.

"We don't need your help," The blond refused.

"Well," Morgan said, hating herself for what she was about to say. "This is the way I look at it. You can either let me help you, and I assure you that I would be a great deal of help, or Mugiar's going to find out a very nasty truth indeed."

"Are you blackmailing us?" The older asked, laughing. "Why do you think he'd believe you?"

"I just told you," Morgan answered calmly, trying to avoid thinking about how sweaty her palms were from being nervous. "I'm a friend and he knew my parents."

The boy seemed to be giving her a calculating look and she held her breath.

"Fine," He said after a moment's hesitation. "Come on, I have to have a word with Mugiar."

_'Kaytie will be proud of me,'_ Morgan thought, letting out a very relieved sigh. _'She'll be happy to know that I haven't wasted her time on teaching me,'_ She could have laughed, she was so relieved. She didn't though, as that would have looked very odd. She ran to catch up with them, "Before you talk to Mugiar, I wish to."

"I really don't care," The older said.

Morgan rolled her eyes, "As you know my name, wouldn't it be fair for me to know yours?"

The boy and his brother stopped and sighed, turning to face her. "I'm Russell Tringham and this is my younger brother, Fletcher." Morgan nodded.

_'How do I get myself into these situations?'_ She thought as she followed them.

* * *

Kaytie sighed as she opened her journal and plopped down to sit at her desk.

_Dear Journal,_

_Help me, God. I can't stand another day in this house. It's one in the morning and I've gone insane. I swear to God. I just snuck out to get a dress._ A dress

_I know that I haven't been writing to you long, but one thing to know about me is that I don't like dresses. So why did I like this one and feel the need to sneak out at midnight to go and get it so no one would know I like it? Because I've gone insane. It's the only logical explanation._

_... Okay, so I'm not actually insane ... but obviously I'm not thinking straight. -Sigh-_

_I still can't get_ him _outta my mind – another reason I'm not thinking straight. Like, why would I wanna think about_ him

_However, I do have some good news. The State Assessment is coming up soon, so they'll have to let me go home, unless they want to blow my cover, of course. I wonder what they'll make me do this year. It's not like I have tons of research to hand in because I sure can't hand in the assignment given to me._

_Ugh! I need Morgan. She's never around when I need her._

* * *

Morgan was twisting her hands in her lap nervously waiting for Russell to come out. Then she sneezed, _'Great time for someone for think about me,'_ She thought, annoyed. He was talking to Mugiar.

She hoped he'd stick to the story. She was in there only five minutes previous and she fed him a lie. _'Well it wasn't_ totally _a lie,'_ She reasoned with herself. She mentioned her parents more than once, telling him how great they were and how she was just them. The second part was the lie, of course. She could never hold a candle to their talent. But he bought it. So she was now 'helping', as far as Mugiar was concerned, the Tringhams with whatever they were doing, which she had yet to find out.

The door opened and Morgan quickly stood, trying to look impatient. "It took you long enough," She said, trying to sound playful.

To her surprise, Russell broke out in a smile, "It looks like we're stuck with you." He said. "Mugiar would not budge on the decision. It seems you were telling the truth after all."

Morgan grinned – wait until she told Ed! He'd never believe she lied so well. "Mugiar told me to ask you about what we're working on," She said. "He said he didn't want to explain it."

"We're continuing our father's research," He explained. "Nash Tringham. We're working on developing Red Water, which, if you compress it, can become an incomplete Philosopher's Stone."

_'Oh my God,'_ Morgan thought, her eyes widening slightly. _'Psiren wasn't kidding! And if the incomplete one can be made, than a complete one can too! Ed and Al should be happy!'_

Morgan smirked, "I told you I'd be helpful; water's my element." She thought she'd take a leaf out of Kaytie's book and be cocky.

Russell laughed and Morgan blushed; gosh, she was doing a lot of that lately.

"It's late," Russell said quietly. "I'll show you to your room."

Just then Morgan's eyes widened - she hadn't thought to bring her bag! _'Great Morgan,'_ She scolded herself as she fell back slightly as she followed Russell up a narrow staircase. _'Why do I have to make things complicated for myself?'_

Russell stopped in front of a door. "When you wake tomorrow, just come down to the lab, I'm sure you know where that is, and you'll be doing mostly research. It'll save Fletcher and I a lot of time if we're not running back and forth to the library to get books or check information." He explained.

Morgan smiled cheekily, "Glad to be of service," She said, opening the door and stepping into her room. She smiled before shutting it, locking it, and spinning around so her back was to the door. She slid down to the floor.

"Was I just_ flirting_ with him?!" She asked no one in particular, as there was no one in the room other then herself. "Okay, I took one too many leaves out of Kaytie's book. I mean, yeah he's cute but," She was now talking to herself. "My _God_ is he cute. And it's not like Ed like me back anyway," She reasoned.

"Where's Kaytie when I need her?" She asked herself.

* * *

Kaytie sneezed as she hopped into bed. "I'll kill whoever's talking about me," She said tiredly. "Gha," She tossed and turned but no matter how she tried, she couldn't fall asleep. No matter what she thought of, she couldn't get the book she read earlier that afternoon out of her mind.

Elizabeth Knox certainly had some interesting theories. Not that Kaytie thought any of them were true of course – she even wrote about chimeras! Complicated ones that Kaytie wouldn't even dream of attempting. Not that she couldn't do them, of course, but most of them could go wrong with the slightest wrong line on a transmutation circles.

Kaytie had seen most of the ones in the book before, it was only an intermediate guide after all. However, some of the more complicated arrays she'd never seen before – which was more than a little surprising.

She rolled onto her back, trying to get comfortable. And why couldn't she get _him_ out of her head?! It annoyed her to no end. _'Him and his stupid spiky hair...! Stupid Kaytie stupid!'_ She rolled over to her side and the bed creaked slightly. _'Ugh, I hate him!'_ She thought angrily. _'Why does he have to be so annoying?!'_

_'Why can't I get to sleep?!'_

* * *

When Ed woke up the next morning, he automatically turned to shake Morgan awake in the next bed; she was never the morning person. And his heart sank to his stomach. Of course she wasn't there!

He'd just spent a practically sleepless night, wondering if she was okay – like, he hadn't even gotten around to teaching her to spar yet.

"Morning, Brother." Al said as Ed dressed.

"Yeah," Ed said, trying to keep the bitter edge out of his voice.

"You're still worried about Morgan, aren't you?" Al said knowingly.

"Well, what do you expect? Even she says she's useless." Ed said, now re-braiding his hair.

"Well, she did live with Kaytie." Al reasoned. "That's got to count for something. Everyone knows she can lie through her teeth and never get caught. Maybe some of that really has rubbed off on Morgan."

"I doubt it. That girl can't lie to save her life." Ed sighed as he and his brother descended the stairs.

"Hi, Make-Believe-Elric-Brothers!" said the unmistakable voice of Elissa. She must have just arrived as they got up. Her eyes widened slightly, "Where's you're girlfriend?" She asked, looking at Ed.

"She is not my _girlfriend_," Ed said, clenching his teeth. "And she's not here, she left."

"Elissa, you shouldn't be here," Velcio said, suddenly speaking up. "If your father finds out, he won't be too happy."

"Don't worry," She said brightly. "Everyone's still asleep." Then she peered at Ed closely.

"What?" He asked.

"Your face looks funny. Did someone hit you 'cause you were lying again?" She asked innocently.

"We're not fakes!" Ed hissed.

"So why did your friend leave?" She asked, ignoring Ed's comment.

"Because she's a stubborn Bit – _Ouch_!" Al had just elbowed him hard in the ribs.

"She's really pretty," Elissa said. "Do you think if she comes back she can do my hair?" She asked eagerly."

"She is not pretty!" Ed said and Al smacked his arm.

"Brother! That wasn't nice. If you don't stop, I'm gonna tell Morgan what you said."

Ed scoffed but Al noticed that he'd shut up. Truthfully, Al thought Morgan and Ed would make a good couple – not that he'd ever voice that out loud of course. He'd noticed that Ed sometimes did things just to get Morgan angry, and then of course, Morgan being in a foul mood already, did something to retaliate.

"So why are you two staying at Uncle's house, Pretend-Elric-Brothers?"

"To find the Philosopher's Stone." Ed answered dully.

Elissa's eyes widened suddenly in comprehension, "Oh, why don't you ask the real Elric brothers for help?"

"Damn it! _We're_ the real Elric brothers, how many times do we have to tell you people? And we're not asking for help from some idiots making profit illegally! It's a crime to forge the Stone and an even a bigger one to profit counterfeit gold!" Ed ranted. He slid his chair back and stormed off.

"Some things never change," Al said wearily, offering Elissa a piggyback ride.

* * *

Morgan woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and energetic. Until she opened her eyes, that is.

Not recognizing her surroundings, the brunette promptly screamed and rolled out of bed. While she was on the floor in a heap, the memories came rushing back to her and she groaned loudly, partly from the pain of falling out of bed, and partly because she concluded that she was an idiot.

She rubbed her eyes and made her way to the bathroom that was adjoined to 'her' room. Stripping down from her clothes yesterday, she regretted for the millionth time that she'd left her bags with Ed and Al. Morgan stepped into the shower.

The hot water felt good on her shoulders and as she worked the shampoo through her hair, the knots came undone. She stepped out and wrapped a towel around her form and her hair. Morgan kneeled down where her clothes were in a pile on the floor and separated them, rummaging in her pant's pockets for chalk. On each article of clothing, she drew a small transmutation circle. She transmuted each of them clean, separating the clothing and anything that wasn't supposed to be there. She sighed, dressing. Once she was in her usual blue outfit, she brushed her hair and left her room.

_'Right,'_ She thought. _'Russell told me to meet him and Fletcher in the lab ...'_ She sighed again, making her way down the narrow staircase. i _'... What made me think I could do this?'_ She asked herself. She answered herself, _'Because I'm an idiot, that's why.'_

She entered the lab to see Russell and Fletcher already up. "Oh, good, you're awake." Russell said, his voice slightly muffled as he wore a mask over his mouth. "Can you go to the library – it's the room you and the Elrics broke into last night – and get me these books?" He asked holding out a list.

"Sure," Morgan smiled. Fletcher grinned at her and she grinned back as she left the room and made her way to the library.

Looking at the list in her hand, she noticed there were about six books she needed. Pulling the books off the shelves when she found them, she laid them on the table nearby. She quickly came to the last book.

_Alchemy (Sorry, couldn't remember the author, although she was pretty famous at one time). _

Russell had written a note at the bottom. _'Great,'_ She thought. _'No author to go on.'_

Morgan made her way to the first bookcase and in surprisingly good luck, it was on of the first there. Thanking God that the library was organized alphabetically, she pulled it off the shelf, and her eyes fell to the author. The book slipped from her hands in shock and fell to the floor, making a loud thump.

There, punched into the leather cover of the book, was the author's name; a name Morgan never expected to see on an alchemy book.

_Elizabeth Krimskii_


	18. Chapter 18

Authors' Notes:

Chibi-chan: And we are back once again.

Jin's Lady: Yes, and we know, it's been another month.

Chibi-chan: I expect that you're very sick of hearing excuses now but still. We've had a lot of things going on this summer so we didn't get to update as much as we or you would have liked. Still, as I type this, I proabably shouldn't be. We have company over at the moment, my cousin and my uncle and they've been here for two weeks now. Furthermore, I wasn't even home for a week before that, and as Chapter 18 was on the computer, I couldn't even write, let alone update.

Jin's Lady: I have to work ... enough said.

Chibi-chan: Anywhoo, we did end up getting chapter 18 out, so you have to give us credit for that. Thank-you to those who reviewed! Now, withough further ado -

Jin's Lady: _Wait!_ The Disclaimer!

Chibi-chan: Right. I got carried away there.

Morgan: I shall do the disclaimer. Chibi-chan and Jin's Lady do not own FMA or any canon characters from the series. They do own Me, Kaytie, and Sam.

Chibi-chan: -Muttering- Since when does she _volunteer_ to do the disclaimer? -Clears Throat- Yes, well, Read, Review, and Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 18: An Unpleasant Truth**

"Ouch!" A young woman of about the age of twenty-six walked right into a sign. "I'm gonna kill whoever out this sign here..." She muttered to herself, rubbing her forehead. She looked up at it, her icy blue eyes quickly skimming the letters. "Eastern HQ? Thank God!"

She swept her long black hair back out of her eyes and marched up to the guards. "I wish to see Colonel Roy Mustang." She said.

The guards laughed, "Who are you? Not just anyone can get into headquarters, you know."

The woman glared at them, "My name is Samantha Patil, and if you don't let me through these doors, I will personally make sure you can't have children." She threatened.

"Sa-Samantha Pat-Patil? Go right in," He said, stuttering and stepping out of her way.

Samantha moved past him quickly and headed straight for Roy's office. She was going to kill him.

She reached his door and took a deep breath. It banged open, causing everyone in the room (five people) to jump in shock. "YOU!" Samantha shouted, pointing at Roy.

"Sam!" He exclaimed in a way that clearly showed that he was scared. "Lo-long time no see..."

"I'm going to murder you." Sam said quietly.

Someone stepped in front of Roy. She had blonde hair that was tied up in a clip and wore a military uniform. A gun was pointed in Sam's face. Sam sweatdropped, "Who are you?" She asked.

Roy gently pushed the woman out of the way, "This is First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye." He said.

"Oh, okay, you told me about her in one of your letters, I think." Sam said, scratching her head. She ran her fingers through her hair.

Roy was very relieved; maybe she wouldn't kill him now that she was distracted. ... Not that it was hard to get Sam distracted. She had the attention span of a dead goldfish.

"WAIT!" Sam said suddenly. "I still wanna kill you!" She lunged forward but a loud shot erupted from the end of Riza's gun, the bullet landing not two inches from Sam's foot. "Okay, guns are bad..." Sam said standing stock-still.

Roy pulled her into an embrace and she relaxed for a moment, before remembering that she was beyond angry with him. This is when she proceeded to strangle him. Roy held her at arms length. "Mind telling me why you're trying to commit murder in my office, Sam?"

Sam exploded, **"You let Morgan become a State Alchemist?! How dare you? After the trouble it got her parents into?!"** Breaking loose of Roy's grip, she smacked him upside the head.

He caught her hand before she could bring it down to slap him again. "Sam!" He said loudly. "It's her choice. I believe you weren't much older when you decided to take the exam, were you?"

Sam lowered her hand. "That was different." She said coldly. "I had no one to turn to; I was alone."

Roy shook his head, "And who does Morgan have to turn to?" He asked, his voice rising slightly.

**"She has me!"** Sam yelled, enraged. "Ugh! I can't talk to you right now." She said angrily as she stalked from the room, slamming the door behind her.

Roy slumped in his chair, "I hate dealing with that woman." He said tiredly.

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking, who was that woman?" Riza asked.

"Ever heard of The Atmospheric Alchemist?" Roy asked, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples.

There was silence. "Wasn't she the one who handed in her licence a few years ago?" Havoc asked.

"Yeah," Roy agreed. "Three years ago, to be exact. They call her Atmospheric because she has quite the temper. Since, she's worked primarily with kids as their alchemy tutor. Morgan's parents hired her awhile before they died. She was an old family friend."

They all paled. So that was why she didn't want Morgan being a State Alchemist. After what it got Mr and Mrs Shaw into ... it wasn't hard to see why.

"Yes," Roy said tiredly. "Samantha Patil isn't someone who most people would like to cross."

* * *

Kaytie woke up feeling anything but refreshed. She opened her eyes and her sight instantly landed on her new dress, which was hanging on the back of her chair. Last night she'd been to lazy to hang it in her closet. 

Kaytie swung her feet off her bed and sat up. Her long red hair was sticking up at random and her green eyes were threatening to close because she was still tired. She could have stayed in bed all day, and the thought was definitely appealing, but she had other things to do that she'd rather not put off.

As Kaytie stood up, she felt slightly light-headed. Shaking herself to rid the feeling, she wearily made her way to the bathroom. Brushing her teeth, she went over her list of things to do today in her head.

She had to talk to Dante about the State Assessment that required her presence, she had to call Morgan at her mother's house, because she said she would, and she had to train Lyra. It was the last thing that really bothered her. Although Kaytie wasn't really looking forward to talking to Dante, she wasn't overly fond of Lyra either.

She dressed in simple black slacks and a white t-shirt. Kaytie pulled her hair up into a ponytail and left her room, locking it behind her. She quickly sought out Dante.

* * *

Morgan stood still, in a state of complete shock. Mrs Krimskii ... an alchemist? No, it wasn't true. Mrs Krimskii hated alchemy. It was just one of Kaytie's relatives. It must have been ... It had to be. There was no other explanation. The idea of Mrs Krimskii writing an alchemy book was about as farfetched as saying the sky was falling. 

Quickly picking up the book and tucking it under her arm with the rest of them, she hurried back to the lab. She'd ask Russell, he was bound to know. He'd said she was famous at one point. But if she was famous ... why hadn't Morgan ever heard of her? Surely, if it was Kaytie's mother, she would have found out by now?

She slid the lab door open and toppled the pile of books in her arms onto the counter. "Russell?" She asked.

He turned to her, "Oh, good. I was beginning to wonder what was taking you." He said, smiling.

Morgan couldn't help but blush. She willed it from her face as she held up the book authored by Elizabeth Krimskii. "You said this author was famous?"

Russell nodded, "Yep. She's changed her name a couple of times though, that's why I couldn't remember it." He said, taking it out of her hands.

Morgan was silent, a feeling of dread she couldn't explain growing in the pit of her stomach. "Really? Whatever happened to her? This book was written twenty years ago."

"No one's really sure." Russell answered, now leafing through the book. "She disappeared just after this book was published. Why the fascination?"

"Curiosity, I guess. I've never heard of her so..." Morgan trailed off, her mind trying hard to make the connection. Twenty years ago ... Kaytie was fifteen now. So if it were really Mrs Krimskii, something would have happened five years before Kaytie were born. But, Mrs Krimskii wasn't missing. She was living a nice quiet life in ... Risembool. The one place no one would think to look. "Did ... Elizabeth Krimskii have any children?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah," Russell answered distractedly. He was still paging through Alchemy. "Two as far as I know; one was still-born though. Miguel and Joey Krimskii; it's a theory that when Joey died, Elizabeth Krimskii couldn't go on and killed herself." He explained. "Ha!" he said suddenly, startling Morgan and causing Fletcher to look up from what he was doing. "I found it."

Morgan's brain seemed to be numb. Miguel ... Joey ... It was too much to be a coincidence. Those were the names of Kaytie's brothers. The bright white of the lab was suddenly hurting her eyes she needed to get back to her room and _think_.

"Morgan?" Russell's voice broke her chain of thoughts. "Are you alright? You spaced out a little there."

She nodded absently and then she was on her knees, her whole body shaking as she broke off into a string of violent coughing. Russell and Fletcher were at her side instantly, "Damn!" Russell cursed. "Fletcher, go and get her a mask!" He said.

Morgan gasped for breath and moved her hands from in front of her mouth to the ground to steady herself. As Russell tried to slip the mask over her mouth, the coughing started again, racking her body. She pushed the mask away. She wouldn't be able to breathe if it were on. Russell had his hands on his shoulders to steady her and when her coughing stopped, instantly slipped the mask into place.

"Fletcher, I'll bring her up to her room. I can't believe I forgot to tell you to wear a mask!" He said, angry with himself. He gripped Morgan under her elbows and lifted her to her feet.

The exhaustion of coughing so hard combined with the shock about Mrs Krimskii left her feeling as though she needed to sleep. Russell half-guided, half-carried her up the narrow staircase and into her room. The he removed the masks covering both their mouths. "Are you okay?" He asked as she situated herself on her bed.

Morgan nodded, "I was the stupid one." She said, tucking her dull hair behind her ear. She found it was soaked in sweat. "Like, I noticed that you and Fletcher were wearing masks. I was just being an idiot. My friends always tell me I'm oblivious." She gave him a weak smile.

"Ah," Russell said, smiling. "Everyone has their weaknesses."

"Yeah," Morgan said weakly. "I suppose."

* * *

Kaytie felt as if a weight was lifted off her chest after talking to Dante. Of course, she'd be going back to Eastern for the State Assessment. She let out a great sigh of relief as she made her way down the hall where the telephone was. She picked up the receiver and dialled her mother's number. She heard the dial tone and then someone picked up. "Hello, Krimskii residence, how may I help you?" A deep male voice answered. 

Kaytie breath hitched in her throat. She hadn't had any contact with Morgan since she'd left for Risembool but ... that sounded an awful lot like her brother Miguel to Kaytie. "Hello?" The voice came again. "Is anyone there?"

"Er ... yeah, sorry." Kaytie said. "Could I please speak to Morgan Shaw?"

There was a pause on the other end. "May I ask who's speaking?" The voice asked.

"Kaytie Krimskii." Kaytie answered, scowling at the phone. She was rather hoping that her family wouldn't recognize her voice and just give the phone to Morgan.

"KAYTIE!" The voice came through the receiver so loud that Kaytie had to hold it a foot from her ear. "Oh, my God, is that really you? Wait, ... what's your favourite colour?"

Kaytie stared ay the phone incredulously, "Er ... excuse me?" She asked. "Who's speaking?"

"It's me, Miguel!" The voice said excitedly.

Kaytie winced, "G-good to talk to you." She said quietly. "How's life going?"

There was the gasp of a small voice in the background, "Is that Auntie Kaytie? Am I gonna get to meet her?!"

"You're an aunt now," Miguel said, a note of pride in his voice.

Kaytie smirked, "Really?" She asked. "So who's the wife then, anyone I know?"

There was a silence. "She died a couple months ago..." He said quietly.

Kaytie swore inside her head, "Shoot, sorry." She apologised. "So how's the little one, then?"

"Alicia's great," He said, and Kaytie could hear him smiling. "She'd four, you know. She can't wait to meet you. You should come visit whenever you get time off. Morgan told me you became a State Alchemist." He said, once again sounding proud. It made Kaytie sad that she hadn't seen him in five years.

"Yeah, come and visit Mom and Dad ... I think I'll pass." She said sardonically. "So you met Morgan, eh? What do you think, suitable material for a best friend?"

"Yeah, Morgan was great. Mom and Dad suckered her into doing all the chores, poor girl." He said. "But, there's something she said that I want to ask you about." She said, a not of hesitation in his voice.

Kaytie tensed; what could Morgan have said to make Miguel hesitant? He was always very straight up with everyone. Never hesitant ... well at least not from what she could remember.

"Kaytie?" He asked.

"Still here." She said. "So what's the question? Shoot, I don't have all day."

"Kaytie, what's your State Name?"

Kaytie paused, not expecting this whatsoever. "She thought hard "Atmospheric." She lied. She remembered reading somewhere about a young State Alchemist named Atmospheric. "You know, for my temper."

Miguel was silent for a moment, "You're lying." He said flatly.

"I am not," She said indignantly.

"Yes you are." He answered. "Morgan told me it was BioHazardous. Were you afraid that I might know what it meant?" He asked coolly.

"I she lied." Kaytie said instantly. "My State Name's Atmospheric.

"You're lying." He insisted.

"Listen," Kaytie said. "I don't have time for this. Can you give the phone to Morgan please?"

Miguel laughed, "Didn't I tell you?" He asked. "She went with the Elric Brothers. You know, to help them, or something."

The bright flush Kaytie had acquired from her anger faded as quickly as it had com. "She-she's where? _What?!_"

"She went with that Ed kid and his brother, you know. You used to throw rocks at each other."

"Correction: I used to chuck rocks at them." Kaytie said, but her mouth had gone dry. Morgan with the Elrics? This was all she needed to worry about. Like, she knew Morgan had been in Lior with them, but they barely escaped with their lives. Kaytie assumed she'd have gone back to the Krimskiis. "Damn," She muttered. "You mean she didn't come back after Lior?"

"Lior?" Miguel asked. "Isn't that where they had the uprising?"

Kaytie ignored his question; she needed to see Dante again. Life couldn't get any better. "I have to go," She said quickly. "I'll try to call later but no promises." She replaced the receiver hurriedly and set off down the hallway again.

When she found Dante, she was in her study. Kaytie burst through the door without knocking, "I need you to tell me something." He said quickly before Dante could speak. "Is Morgan part of your plans at all?"

"Morgan, dear?" Dante asked in the same sickly sweet voice that her mother used so often.

"You know who I'm talking about." Kaytie said with as much hostility as she would dare. "Morgan Shaw, the Aquatic Alchemist. Is she part of your plans?! _Answer me!_"

Dante laughed, throwing back her head in a way that reminded Kaytie so much of her mother she could barely restrain herself from reaching across the desk that separated them and punching her in the face. Of course, better judgement took over at this point and Kaytie kept her anger in check. "Tell me," She repeated quietly. "I need to know."

"No," Dante answered. "That silly girl is useless to us, unless of course she is motivation to you, my dear." Dante's eyes glittered dangerously. "Would you do us a better job if we threatened to hurt the girl?"

Kaytie paled, "You wouldn't," She said, a note of panic in her voice. Dante smirked but offered no reassurance that she wouldn't touch Morgan.

"Get out of my study, Ms Krimskii." Dante said as her mouth spread into a wide slack smile that made Kaytie shudder. She glared, turned, and walked out of the office.

Kaytie's anger was almost to its boiling point. If they used Morgan to get at her, she'd never forgive herself. If they hurt her ... the thought was too terrifying to finish.

Forgetting about training Lyra, Kaytie sped off to the library. Morgan used to say she was a bookworm when she was angry. It really sucked when they were living together because Morgan and Kaytie had two very different ways of dealing with anger. Kaytie would take a fit, usually smashing the nearest smash-able thing or grab the nearest book and bury her nose in it, not reappearing for hours at a time, whereas Morgan would barricade herself in her room, refusing to talk to or see anyone. Another thing Morgan would do when she was frustrated was clean. This drove Kaytie up the wall. Because Kaytie would usually be the one making the mess, and then Morgan would snap at her, saying she was in her way.

Shaking the thought out of her head, Kaytie pushed the double doors the lead to the library open and started browsing though the nearest section, which happened to be the Ks. Most of the books were printed in ink but Kaytie loved it when she came across a handwritten one. They just seemed to have so much more history behind them. Just then, a heavy book with a leather cover caught her eye. She pulled it from the shelf, where it was wedged between two other beaten thick books, and her eyes fell on the cover. A gasp tore from her throat and she whipped the book across the room with as much force as she could. It hit the window, shattering it. The book fell to the floor with a loud thump, accompanied with the sound of crushed glass.

She was breathing heard. No ... no, it couldn't be. The name of the book was simply called Alchemy but it was the author that scared the hell out of her. Punched into the leather was the name Elizabeth Krimskii. It was her mother's name.

Kaytie made her way from where she stood, frozen to the spot, hardly daring to breathe, to the broken window. She pressed her hands to the ground, causing a bright blue light to flash and the glass to repair itself. The scar she'd given herself just over a month and a half ago acted as the transmutation circle. She studied the scar before picking up the book. Sighing and wishing she could go back to a month ago, when she didn't have to worry about attempts on her life, or Morgan's life, or Homunculi, or the Philosopher's Stone, or her family, she picked up the leather covered book and opened it.

_'I think it's time to pay dear Mother a visit,'_ She thought acidly.


	19. Chapter 19

Authors' Notes:

Chibi-chan: Hey! This ... is by far the longest chapter yet.

Jin's Lady: -Sigh-

Chibi-chan: But the good news is that this chapter is up in record time, seeing as I just updated last week! Readers should be happy!

Envy: I suppose I'm doing the disclaimer, then?

Jin's Lady: Yupyup!

Envy: Jin's Lady and Chibi-chan do not own FMA but they do own Morgan and Kaytie.

Jin's Lady: Thank-you. Read, Review, and Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 19: Russell and Fletcher

Morgan woke from her nap feeling well rested and finding that her throat was slightly sore from her coughing fit earlier. She straightened her appearance and quickly made her way downstairs, making sure to slip a mask over her face this time. She didn't want a repeat of a few hours ago.

"Are you feeling better?" Russell asked, concerned, when she entered the lab. Morgan nodded, smiling, although he couldn't see it because of the mask covering her mouth. "Good." He said. "I was wondering if you could do me a favour?"

"Sure," Morgan said. "Did you need more books from the library?"

Russell shook his head, "I wanted to send Fletcher out to get some things for the research, and I was wondering whether you'd go with him?"

"Sure," Morgan repeated as Fletcher smiled up at her from where he was standing. They both made their way out of the lab and down into town. The sun was shining brilliantly and it must have been about noon, she decided.

After picking up the research items, Morgan and Fletcher made to go back to the lab but Morgan stopped, tugging him around when she heard a familiar voice. "Ah, now how am I supposed to get Elissa's medicine?" 

Morgan turned, "Al?" She asked.

He spun, "Morgan! You're okay!" Then his gaze darted down to where Fletcher was standing. Morgan glanced at him too and gave Al a meaningful look that clearly said, _If you ruin my plan, I'll murder you_.

"I can get the medicine for you," Fletcher offered before darting around Morgan and Al and entering the shop.

"How are you?" Al asked eagerly after Fletcher disappeared from sight.

"Jeeze Al," Morgan said, pouting. "I've only been away since last night. Have some confidence in me." She said, laughing.

"It's not you I'm worried about." Al said. "Well, I am, it's just Brother looks like he's about to have a heart attack from worrying so much." He explained, sighing. "No matter how much I try and convince him that you know what you're doing, he won't believe me."

Morgan blushed slightly, "He's worried about me?" She asked quickly.

Al sighed, "You should just tell him how you feel." He said and then, as Morgan turned a shade of red that could rival even Ed's coat, he regretted saying anything at all.

"Wh-what?" Morgan asked hurriedly, her face still burning. "What do you mean? Tell him that he's an immature, stuck-up idiot who's self-centered and egotistical? Tell him that he'd do better to mind his own business rather than but into mine or that I can do whatever I please and don't need his permission?" Morgan drew a breath and went on, "Tell him that--"

"Morgan!" Al interrupted her. "I'm sorry I said anything, okay? But ... it, well ... it's sort of noticeable ... a lot."

Morgan hid her quickly reddening face in her hands, "A lot?" She asked in a small voice. "Please don't tell him ... he hasn't noticed, has he?"

"No, Ed's too thick to notice something like this but everyone else has. Clara, back in Aquroya, certainly did. That's why she kissed Ed, you know. So that she'd make you jealous." Al said.

Morgan flushed hotly as Fletcher came out of the shop, clutching a paper bag. "Here's your medicine." He said as he handed it to Al. He opened his mouth to say something else, hesitating slightly, "I'm sorry." He said.

This took Morgan by surprise and she exchanged a glance with Al. "I'm sorry that my brother and I stole your identity." He continued, looking at the ground.

Al paused and Morgan took Fletcher's hand. "It seems like you'd rather not be doing this," Al said quietly. "You don't have to do anything that you don't want to, you know." Al said kindly. "Is there a reason you are?"

Fletcher glanced at Morgan as if to ask if it was okay to answer. She smiled at him so he continued, "My big brother wants to finish the work of our father," He said.

Al sighed; that was the complete opposite of Ed. "My brother hates our dad ... it's because of him that our mom died." He said quietly.

Morgan was shocked to hear this. She could only remember Mr Elric vaguely, because she'd been so little before he left, but to say that he'd been the cause of Trisha's death ... She was about to ask when she remembered her cover story and snapped her mouth shut on the subject. "I want to follow in my parents footsteps, too," She added. After a pause Morgan tugged on Fletcher's hand again, "Come on, Fletcher." She said, leading him away.

Al stood there for a moment and sighed before there was a crash and Ed toppled into him. He stood up and brushed himself off quickly. "I heard that the guy impersonating me was here. Where is he?" He looked around eagerly as if hoping he'd be nearby.

"No, it was the one impersonating me. Morgan was with him. She called him Fletcher." Al said, hoping that if he mentioned Morgan it might calm Ed down.

It's rather sad that the opposite happened. "WHAT?!" Ed said. "Is she okay?"

"Yes, Brother. She's fine. It seems that whatever she thought up for a cover story worked well enough." Al answered.

"That's it!" Ed said, stamping his foot into the ground. "We're breaking in!"

Al sighed.

* * *

_I ish tired ... I ish tired ... I ish tired ..._ Kaytie sat at her desk, mindlessly writing in her journal. She'd resolved not to call her mother. The conversation would be extremely awkward over the phone and if Mrs Krimskii didn't like where it was going she always had the option of hanging up. Kaytie didn't want to give her that option.

There was a knock at her door and she jumped up, startled. _'Since when am I so jumpy?'_ She thought as she went to answer it. Lyra stood there, looking mildly irritated. "Dante's sent me up to get you. You have a visitor in the parlour." She said.

"A visitor?" Kaytie repeated. "But--" However before she could get a word in edge-wise Lyra was already making her way downstairs. Kaytie followed, anxiously trying to sooth her dishevelled appearance. She hadn't been out of the house since her midnight shopping trip and didn't exactly take her time in brushing her hair this morning.

The question that was floating around in her mind was who else knew she was there? No one surely. Only the Sins and Dante and Lyra should have known. They entered the parlour and Kaytie pressed her lips into a thin line. She might have known.

**_'Of Course you knew, stupid.' _**Her conscience ridiculed. She blocked it out as she turned her gaze toward her 'visitor'.

"Hello, Princess," Envy said, smirking his trademark smirk; the one that made Kaytie want to rip his face off. "Long time no see," He said in a lazy drawl.

"Wishing it could have been longer." Kaytie returned coldly.

"Now, Princess," Envy said wrapping his arm around her shoulders in mock-concern in a way that made Kaytie stomach do a back-flip. "Is that anyway to treat an old friend?"

"Yeah," Kaytie said coolly, slipping from under his arm. "It is the way to treat someone who just _left me_ on the train, without a clue where I was supposed to go!" She continued angrily.

Envy laughed sardonically, "Well, you got here in the end, didn't you?" he asked, his lips still twisted into a smirk.

"Why are you here?" Kaytie asked.

"Jeeze," Envy said, frowning. "Straight to the point, aren't we?" Kaytie rolled her eyes. "You know that the State Assessment is coming and that you're required to be there." Envy said, slightly annoyed. "I've come to escort you."

Kaytie frowned, "Why you?" She asked distastefully, remembering the last time she was escorted by him anywhere. It was a strange mix of feelings - she was happy to get out of this mansion and town but at the same time, she loathed the idea of it being with Envy at her side constantly.

"Because I'm the only one who can do this," He drawled as he suddenly morphed into the spitting image of Morgan. Kaytie jumped back in alarm, glaring at him.

"So?" She asked, "It's not like anyone would recognize Lust walking down the street either." She argued.

"It's all part of our plans," He continued. "You're stuck with me, whether you like it or not. Now, go pack. I don't wanna wait around all day."

Kaytie bit back a retort as she turned on her heel and stormed back to her room. Only when she was safely out of earshot did she allow herself to scowl. "Joy," She muttered to herself dryly. "At least I'll be away from here," She said to herself. Although, as much as she hated to be with Envy, she couldn't help thinking, _'Thank God he's back'_

* * *

The rest of Morgan's day was spent running errands for Russell and Fletcher. It almost felt as though Russell didn't trust her, although she found it didn't bother her very much. At least this way, she didn't have to pretend to be some great alchemist she knew she wasn't.

It was sometime around midnight when Morgan decided she was restless and hopped out of bed. She planned on going down to the lab to read when she heard a loud crash from downstairs. She ran down the narrow staircase and burst into the lab, where she guessed the noise to be coming from.

She was right. In front of her, locked in another fight, were Russell and Ed. Fletcher was standing off to the side with Al. Russell shoved Ed off and in the next moment Ed was holding off a vast amount of Red Water from bursting from a pipe. "No, Ed! The Red Water's fatal!" Morgan yelled from her place at the foot of the stairs.

Russell turned the knob as far as it could go to the left and Ed was knocked off his feet, sent flying backwards. "Ed!" Morgan yelled, rushing forward but Al caught her around the middle and forced her to stay still. She struggled for a moment but her protests died and her eyes widened when little Fletcher suddenly bolted from his spot beside Al and dived in front of Ed.

The Red Water soaked Fletcher head-to-toe. "I'm sorry," he said in his small voice. "Brother ..."

There's a moment's silence and three pairs of eyes dart to where Morgan was standing. A whistle is blown and everyone's heads snap around to the door.

"Are you alright?!" Someone yelled through the door. "Open up! I heard banging!"

Russell cursed, "We're fine!" He yelled back.

"Let me in!" The person on the other side kept banging and shouting. Morgan struggled out of Al's grasp and rushed over to Ed. She kneeled beside him, "Are you alright?" She asked. "Didn't I tell you that the next time you scare me like that, I'm going to murder you?!" He rolled his eyes, looking very relived that she was alright.

By now, her cover was blown but she didn't care. Fletcher shot up from the floor and transmuted a fairly big willow in front of the door. Faint booming noises and muffled voices could still be heard from the other side but the five were doing their best to ignore them.

Ed pulled Morgan to her feet roughly and jerked around to find Al, "Run!" He hissed as he pulled her toward the window.

"You go," Morgan said. "If I'm not here, it'll be worse for them!" She gestured toward Russell who was now healing Fletcher with the Red Stone.

"Who cares about them!" Ed said loudly and Morgan glared at him.

"Just go! Before they catch you!"

He gave her one last contemptuous glance as he leaped out the window, landing off-balance, then steadying himself with his hand. Al quickly followed and Morgan slammed the window shut as the door and willow shattered to pieces. "Master Elric, are you alright?" asked a plump man wearing a lab coat. Morgan recognized him as Mugiar.

"Yes Professor," Russell said, helping Fletcher to his feet. He gave Morgan a meaningful glance. "And the Red Stone?"

"It's intact, Sir." Morgan answered, watching Russell hand it to Mugiar.

"Ah," He said in a strangely soft voice. "This is an excellent size. You've done well." From behind his back, in a way that reminded Morgan forcibly of Cornello in Lior when he pulled the gun on her and Ed, he pulled out what looked to be a hollow child's toy. He dropped the stone in and the reaction was instantaneous. It was glowing a bright red.

"What is that?" She and Russell asked in unison.

"This is an alchemic amplifier." He answered, his voice now losing it's strange softness and becoming harsh and rough. "It increases the Stone's power!" He laughed. "You took me for some gullible fool, didn't you?" He asked ruthlessly, pointing the amplifier in the direction the three were standing, a malevolent grin playing on his face. "Didn't you realize that I would know that the real Edward Elric has an automail arm?" He hissed, as a crimson beam seemed to shoot from the amplifier.

It seemed to manipulate the floorboards as they wrapped around Morgan, Russell, and Fletcher, binding them tightly together so that they were all facing separate directions. Morgan gasped and felt her breath slow as the floorboards constricted her breathing.

"You're the Tringham brothers, sons of Nash; that fool." He said, smiling maliciously. "You," he said nastily, turning to Morgan. "Seem to be who you say you are, with modifications, of course. You really are the _Aquatic Alchemist_," He said, tauntingly. "And of course, are the daughter of Tracy and Dave Shaw and was trained by the very famous Samantha Patil, the renowned Atmospheric Alchemist, but you're useless. You're a joke, thinking you could live up to your their reputations. Every self-respecting individual who claims to know anything about alchemy would know that you were only chosen because there was a bad turnout!"

Morgan glared at him viciously, "And how would you know that?" She asked loudly. Having to endure the comments from Cornello in Lior, it wasn't nearly as surprising this time around.

"Why does everyone think I'm so stupid?" He asked angrily. "To the chambers!" He shouted in a triumphant voice, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.

He pushed the three of them to the level below, which Morgan had never been on, and into a cell. Before he left, he placed their hands into locked wooden cuffs. He left, slamming the iron-barred door shut behind him. "Now you three stay here, like good little kids. I need to clean up that mess ..."

Morgan sighed, leaning against the wall and sliding down to the floor. "At least he didn't chain us to the wall," Morgan said tiredly. "That's how it was last time I was in this position." She smiled weakly at the brothers before resuming staring at the floor.

"So, you were spying on us for the Elrics this whole time?" Russell asked, a slightly hurt look on his face.

Morgan nodded, "Figured it out, did you?"

"Well," Russell said. "It wasn't hard the way you rushed to hug Ed like that ... not something an acquaintance would do. I thought you said your friend worked closely with him?" He asked, also weakly smiling.

Morgan snorted, "Yeah, Kaytie. I think she might just kill whoever it was who gave her the job if she was ever forced to work close to Ed." She said sadly. "He can be a bit difficult at times."

"Is the Red Water really hurting people?" Fletcher asked in a small voice.

Before Russell had the chance to answer, footsteps echoed around the cell and Mugiar appeared. "It was all a part of phase two," Mugiar answered for him in a booming voice, staring at the three of them.

"Phase two?" asked Fletcher, sounding slightly frightened.

"Simple really; some years ago, the Red Water was to be transferred into the supply of drinking water supply of pregnant women. Through this, it made its way into the placenta, which is essential for organ reproduction. It's transferred into the unborn baby. The remnants were to be crystallized to form the Red Stone." Mugiar explained.

"Shut up!" Russell yelled loudly, standing. "Was ... was my father any part of this?" He asked.

"If your father hadn't gotten cold feet at the last moment he could have saved his neck!" However, Mugiar broke off.

**"Liar!"** Russell yelled furiously. "You told me my father was alive!"

Mugiar hesitated, a cruel smile twisted on his face, "Maybe," He said simply. He swept from the cell.

"Bastard ..." Morgan muttered under her breath. A silence had lapsed and she sighed.

Half an hour or so later, the iron-barred door creaked open, making a vile screeching noise, and Morgan looked up. Her eyes flickered from Ed to Al to Mugiar, who was glancing at Ed with a terrified look on his face. "Just ... do what you must." He said in a would-be casual voice as he fled back upstairs.

"Al!" Fletcher said loudly, "What are you doing here?"

"We came to free you!" Al said happily, as he quickly freed Russell and Fletcher from their bindings.

Ed had dropped to his knees immediately, and broke the cuffs that kept Morgan's arms behind her back. As soon as she was free, she lurched forward, flinging her arms around his neck, almost strangling him in a hug. She was blushing like mad, which certainly didn't go unnoticed by Al, but she didn't care.

"Now it's my turn," Ed said. "If _you_ ever scare _me_ like that again, I'll murder you. What were you thinking, staying here?!"

Morgan didn't answer but stood up. "What is it with every creepy guy that he feels the need to lock us in a cell?" She asked no one in particular, brushing the dirt from her clothes and avoiding Ed's eye.

"Well," Ed said impatiently. "Are you just gonna stand there all day?" He asked the Tringham brothers.

They glanced at each other, "Brother," Fletcher began suddenly. "I think we should help them. Father wouldn't be proud to see his sons using alchemy to destroy a village, just because of their greed ..." He trailed off as Russell stayed silent.

"Come on," Ed said, steering Morgan up the stairs as Al followed. The reached the landing and heard a muffled voice from the other side of an only door. Ed rested his ear against it as Morgan followed suit.

"They destroyed it," Mugiar was muttering. "But ... no matter, those two will surely help me create another one." He said in a suddenly boastful fashion.

Ed roughly pushed the doors open, Morgan and Al in toe. "What you say, 'those two', are you referring to me and Al?" He asked.

"Of course," He said, turning. As soon as he saw the expression on yours and Ed's faces, he suddenly looked fearful. "Y-you will, won't you?"

"No," Ed snarled. "Why would we want to help a murderer like you?!"

Mugiar suddenly cackled, pulling from his pocket the amplifier that he used earlier. Morgan gasped, "Ed!" She said frantically, whipping around to look at him. "That's an amplifier! It increases the power of the Red Stone--"

"Ha!" Ed laughed. "We destroyed it, how could be of any use now?"

Mugiar smirked, "But it wasn't the last!" He chuckled, pulling another from inside his pocket. He used it to transmute the amplifier into a gun.

Al grabbed Morgan's wrist, dragging her behind a pillar where they were safe from Mugiar. Ed followed quickly.

"You can't stay there forever!" Mugiar laughed as he continuously started firing at their safe refuge.

"Damnit," Ed said, his back flat against the stone, Morgan pressed up against him, pressing up against Al. "He's right."

Suddenly the firing ceased and Ed smirked, "You don't have anymore Red Stones, do you?" He asked, sounding amused. Mugiar just laughed and when Morgan dared to peek around the pillar, he was cramming several broken pieces of Red Stone into the amplifier-turned-gun. "I shouldn't have asked," muttered Ed, looking slightly worried now.

"Why do you get us into these situations?" Morgan hissed at Ed.

"Me?" He asked incredulously. "If you hadn't stayed, we could have been gone by now!"

Morgan glared as he snatched up her hand and pulled her to the right of the pillar, racing around the room, dodging the shots.

Suddenly, an uncanny silence filled the room and Morgan stopped running, taking her hand from Ed's and panting, out of breath. She whipped around to see vines were wrapping themselves around Mugiar, constricting him, and not allowing any movement. Russell and Fletcher were standing by a tree, grinning broadly. "You guys are right." Russell said, seriously. "We have to follow our own dreams and start our own route." Fletcher hugged him, smiling at Morgan, Ed, and Al.

"I'm glad you made that decision." Ed said, smiling.

Morgan smiled, reminded slightly of her little sister, and clapped her hands, pressing them to the ground, and snapping the large pillar in half. It fell to the ground with a thud, right on top of Mugiar. "How did you do that?" Ed asked, obviously commenting on the lack of a transmutation circle.

Morgan rolled her eyes, "Mustang isn't the only one who had custom made gloves," She said, smiling and showing him her palms, revealing transmutation circles. "I've been wearing them since Lior, haven't you noticed?"

Ed smiled, "I guess not." He said. "Great!" He went on. "Now we can get the hell outta here."

"Or not." Al said quietly. The four others turned to face him to see that he was looking at the whole the pillar had smashed in the floor. It revealed a hidden staircase. "It's a secret passage." Al said.

"Wait!" Fletcher said as they made to go down. "You have to put these on." He said, handing them masks.

"Yeah," Russell agreed. "We don't want another mishap like earlier." Russell said, smiling at Morgan in a teasing way.

She felt her face heat up and she coughed in an innocent way. "Right well," She said lightly as she slipped the mask into place. "What are we waiting for?"

"What mishap?" Ed asked.

No one answered as they clambered down the steps and into the hidden passage. "This leads to the fountain." Russell voiced, taking the lead.

"Does anyone else hear ... running water?" Al asked. Morgan nodded at him, an anxious feeling in the pit of her stomach. This was the third life-or-death situation she'd been in over the period of less than a month. Travelling with the Elrics was beginning to look a lot more dangerous than she'd expected and a lot more like Ed had described back in Risembool.

A few apprehensive minutes later, the group of five came to a solid cement wall. "He must have known we'd come after him ..." Ed said. "No matter," He said, clapping and transmuting a hole into it.

The sight that met Morgan's eyes wasn't altogether comforting. Mugiar was standing just behind the wall with a cannon at the ready, a sickening smile fastened on his face. "Oh look," He said tauntingly. "It's the diminutive State Alchemists and their copy-cat friends!"

"Diminutive!" Ed laughed. "Points for the big word but you're still going down!" Ed said, running forward and clapping his hands together. But he wasn't quick enough. A loud bang erupted from the cannon and Ed yelled, _"Duck!"_

With quick reflexes, Al pulled Ed around and they flattened themselves against the wall. Morgan made a grab at Fletcher, pulling him close to her as Russell pushed her down from behind so they lay level with the ground.

"You coward!" Ed yelled. "Hiding behind a wall while you're armed!" He smirked suddenly. "Not that it really matters. I'm still on a whole other level than you, even with the amplifier and the Red Stone." Ed said, once again charging at him.

Morgan bit her lip; why did he always have to get cocky?

"Fools!" screeched Mugiar as he dodged Ed, stumbling backward. Morgan gasped as she helped pull Russell to his feet. When Mugiar had dodged Ed's attack, whatever Ed had done seemed to cause the fountain to rupture. "No! You'll never have the fountain!" He screamed in vain.

Russell grabbed Fletcher's hand while Morgan stared at it in horror. "RUN!" Ed yelled sprinting forward and seizing Morgan's upper arm, dragging her down the tunnel.

Morgan could hear the water rushing behind her, "We're gonna drown if we don't do something quick!" She panted to Ed. He suddenly wheeled around, causing Morgan to almost trip and fall, as he still had hold of her arm. He clapped, transmuting a cement wall like the one they'd seen earlier.

"That should hold it for now," he said. "Come on." His hand found hers again and they resumed running, now trying to catch up to the others.

"Won't the water just have to come out somewhere else?" Al asked, noticing what Ed had done.

Ed nodded, "We can't worry about it now though." He said as they scrambled through the lab, making their way out of the mansion.

Ed released Morgan's hand as they got outside. The five sprinted toward the forest.

Morgan slowed to a walk, placing her hands behind her head, panting. She turned to look at the mountain that Mugiar's mansion was situated on and gasped.

Her gasp drew the attention of Russell. "No!" he said loudly. "The Red Water's seeping through the mountain!"

Ed and Al turned now, watching in horror as crimson liquid trickled down the mountain face, reminding them of a volcano. "Hold on," Ed said, screwing up his eyes in concentration, as he slapped his hands against the earth. Morgan watched as the rocks and dirt around and on the mountain form a bowl-like shape, compressing itself against the mount.

"That won't work!" Morgan said frantically. "The water will just seep through!"

Fletcher gasped suddenly, as if an idea popped into his head. He ran the nearest tree and scratched a small transmutation circle into the bark. He lightly pressed his hands against it and he effect was immediate. A faint red glow emanated around the tree, and, looking around, Morgan found that all the trees seemed to be shimmering.

"It's absorbing the water!" Morgan gasped in awe as Russell moved forward, placing his hands over Fletchers. She smiled as she glanced around the wood. It was as if it was whole of it were shining a bright ruby colour. The sight was breathtaking.

When all of the water seemed to be absorbed, Fletcher opened his eyes and smiled weakly. "Thank-you," He whispered to the trees. "I'm sorry." The trees suddenly turned a violent violet, which faded into a royal blue. They shattered, the remnants sparkling as they rained down upon the forest.

Watching Ed's bowl that encased the mountain recede back into the earth, Morgan smiled, the anxiety slowly washing away. Suddenly she grinned, launching herself at Russell and pulling him into a hug, "You did it!" She cried.

Ed rolled his eyes grumbling slightly. Al sighed, wondering if she was trying to make Ed jealous. He settled on the fact that she wasn't however, when he remembered that she was also too thick to notice that Ed clearly liked her back. He sighed at the stupidity of the pair.

* * *

Later that day, Ed, Morgan, and Al were standing on the train platform getting ready to leave. "Thank-you!" Elissa squealed. "It's from my uncle." She handed Al a basket of lemons.

"You have to come back and visit!" Fletcher said happily.

"Yeah!" Elissa agreed. "By then I'll probably be taller than you!" She said, referring to Ed.

Morgan roared with laughter, clutching her sides. "Burned," She said through her giggles. "By a little girl."

"Shut up," Ed said, slapping her arm playfully.

They turned to board the train when someone caught Morgan's arm. She span around, coming face to face with Russell. He pulled her into an embrace. Morgan felt herself blush. "Call me up if you're ever in need of anything," he said quietly.

Morgan smiled as they broke apart, "Will do," She called back as she climbed onto the train, missing Ed's furious glare at Russell.

She dropped herself in her seat, still quite red in the face, smiling.

"Bye!" Elissa and Fletcher call, waving frantically after the train. The three waved back until they were out of sight.

"That," Morgan said tiredly. "Was exhausting. All I wanna do now is sleep."

"All you ever want to do is sleep." Ed said, sounding slightly annoyed. "You always sleep on the train."

"Hey!" Al exclaimed suddenly. "Look." He pulled an envelope out of the basket of lemons. Scrawled on the front was, _Morgan, Ed, Al_

Ed snatched it out of Al's hands and ripped it open, reading it quickly. His eyes seemed to bulge and he blushed. "What does it say?" Al asked.

"Nothing!" Ed answered a little too quickly.

"Give it here," Morgan said, slightly annoyed.

_Hey, thanks for helping me realize that I should take my own path, Ed. I'm sorry I was such a smart ass to you earlier. You're really wise, well, it's probably because you're a year older than me. That does make a difference. Velcio hired us to help crops, Fletcher and myself, working with agriculture-related alchemy._

_Morgan, if you're reading this, thanks for all your help. I know you're probably thinking you didn't do very much but you're wrong. When you volunteered to stay behind so we'd get in less trouble, it showed me what a true friend is. If you ever need anything, just call. I'll be there for you._

_ Well, good luck on your quest to find the Philosopher's Stone! ---Russell_

"What are you getting all worked up about?" Morgan asked, not seeing how anything in the letter was offensive in the least.

Ed mumbled something incoherent that sounded a lot like, "...Not fair ... year younger ... so tall,"

Al sighed and Morgan rolled her eyes, "_That's_ what this is about?" She asked.

"But-but he's already so much taller than me and a year younger!" Ed whined.

Morgan laughed, "Life's not fair, Hun." She said lightly, passing the letter to Al so he could read it. She rested her head against the glass of the window and dozed off to sleep.


	20. Chapter 20

Authors' Notes:

Chibi-chan: Oh, my God. It's all my fault!!

Jin's Lady: Damn right!

Chibi-chan: -Hangs Head- I made you guys wait a terrible amount of time for an update. Jeeze, I haven't updated at all since school started! I'm sooooorrrryyy!!!

Jin's Lady: She always has to be dramatic. -Sigh-

Chibi-chan: I blame it on my new Harry Potter story I've been working on. I try to divide my time equally but it hasn't worked so far. It will be starting now. One another note, I can't believe we've made it to chapter 20. It feels like yesterday that we just started this story even though we've been working on it for a year and a half now.

Jin's Lady: It's true. Even though we've only been posting on since Janurary, we started this story in March 2006. Wow. -Stares in Awe at Story- We've never even made it close to writing a story this long before. I believe our recored before this was, what, three chapters?

Chibi-chan: As sad as that is, yep, three chapters. Anywhoo, on to the disclaimer!

Jin's Lady: Why don't we give our characters a break, hmm? We do not own anything connected to FMA, save for this story. We also own Morgan, Kaytie, and Sam.

Chibi-chan: Now, Enjoy, Read, and Review!

* * *

**Chapter 20: Averse Conversations & Overdramatic Bets**

Sam lay on her hotel room bed, staring at the ceiling. She hadn't moved for hours and she had no desire to. Ever since her little episode in Roy's office that morning, she had no desire to do anything.

Just then, her stomach gave a particularly loud growl. Unwilling to move, she ignored it, only to hear it rumble louder. Deciding that she actually did have to feed herself, Sam swung her feet off the bed and onto the cold, hard floor below.

She treaded into the bathroom and glanced at herself in the mirror. Her long, usually silky black hair was dishevelled and knotted. She ran a brush through it and tied it in a high ponytail at the back of her head. After straightening her blouse and threw a plain back jacket over it. Grabbing her bag, she slung it across her shoulders and locked the door behind her as she stepped out.

Sam's plan was to kill two birds with one stone; she was taking Roy Mustang to lunch. That way she could talk to him about Morgan and not starve to death at the same time.

Even with her jacket wrapped tightly around her, the autumn breeze was cool. It tickled her skin, blowing her bangs and ponytail around. Even so, the walk to Headquarters was less than five minutes and Sam was glad to get inside. She was never one for the cold.

Figuring that she didn't need to reintroduce herself, Sam strode straight past the guard at the front entrance. It was safe to say her remembered her; he gave Sam a frightened glance as she passed, pushing the double doors open.

The heat of being inside hit her and she sighed contentedly. Sighing, trying to think of ways she could possibly drag Roy away from his desk for an hour, she made her way up the stairs and stood in front of his office door, still undecided.

Pausing for a moment, she didn't knock. She bit her lip; how, oh how would she get Roy away from his desk? Her moment's hesitation proved to be a mistake, for the most part. Just as she raised her fist to knock, the door swung open, smacking her hard on the forehead. She staggered back, pressing herself against the wall. "Ouch," She muttered softly, gingerly feeling her forehead. No doubt, an ugly bruise was going to be evident in a few hours time. She nervously flattened her bangs down.

"Are you alright?" The amused voice of Roy Mustang echoed in the hall.

"Aside from the pounding headache, yes." Sam replied acidly.

Roy laughed, "I was just about to go to lunch. Care to join me?" He asked.

Sam rolled her eyes; he was always able to read her like a book. "I wouldn't care to, however, I do still need to have a word with you about Morgan."

Roy sighed, "Always straight to the point, aren't you?"

"Of course," She responded. "I figured, now that I no longer feel homicidal toward you, it would be the perfect time to have our little chat."

"Yes," Roy said, steering her toward the door. "Damn that homicidal-ness."

The exited the building, and as Sam passed the guard at the front, she smiled. He looked like he was going to have a heart attack. "I love how my reputation still stands here, you know, from when I was a State Alchemist."

"I'm assuming that's how you got into HQ?"

"Damn right," Sam said, smiling. "The guard looked like he was going to have an aneurism when I told him who I am."

Roy laughed as he pushed the door to the restaurant open. Once again, Sam found herself enjoying the warmth of the restaurant. They were lead to a table by the hostess. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Just water." Roy answered. Sam nodded in agreement.

"Your server will be right with you." She said, handing them menus before disappearing to the kitchens.

"So what did you want to speak to me about again?" Roy asked, a slightly amused smile tugging at his lips.

Sam glared at him, slipping her jacket off and hanging to over the back of the chair. "You know perfectly well what I need to speak to you about." She replied, her tone icy.

Roy sighed and turned as a pretty waitress came over to their table. "Are you ready to order?" She asked.

"Um," He gave the menu a last once over. "Just a hamburger, please,"

"Poutine," Sam said.

Roy laughed as the server walked away. "You could live on poutine, couldn't you?"

"Of course!" Sam said. "Glad that you remember something about me."

"Okay ... so Morgan. Shoot."

"Okay..." Sam said. "Why in the world did you let her become a State Alchemist?! I mean, she's only fourteen." She struggled to stay calm. Morgan was much more than a student to her. She was more like a little sister that she only saw when she got the chance. She hadn't had the chance since Morgan came to visit her after Tracy and Dave's death to train for the State Exams. Sam only agreed to that because she didn't actually think Morgan had a chance of passing.

Roy looked uncomfortable. "It wasn't my call." He said after a moment. "Furher Bradley said he wanted fresh talent ... that coupled with the fact that there was a bad turnout _and_ the ability of Tracy and Dave ... it was an opportunity too good to pass up, or at least that was what the Furher said." He tacked on the end to appease her.

Sam too a calming breath, "So what's this I hear that she's not here in Eastern, now?"

Roy winced; that was really his fault. "Um ... she decided to relocate back to Risembool ... for, er, research." He finished, somewhat lamely.

"It was your fault, wasn't it?"

"Yep." He admitted. "I didn't have a place to stay so Krimskii offered her place and her parents said they were happy to host Morgan."

Sam sighed, rubbing her temples, attempting to mollify herself. "Wait ... Krimskii ... _No!_ Tell me you didn't!"

Just then, a sound of shattering glass met with their ears. The waitress bringing their meal had dropped one of the glasses of water, caused, no doubt, by Sam's sudden outburst. "Sorry," She offered. The waitress glared at her and set their plates down roughly, stalking back to the kitchen to retrieve another glass.

"What's wrong with Kaytie Krimskii?" Roy asked.

Sam's face darkened, "I don't know much about her," She admitted. "But _Elizabeth Krimskii_ on the other hand ... That's who Morgan's staying with? It looks like I'll be paying an old friend a visit." She finished, spearing a French fry with her fork.

Roy was slightly surprised. He raised an eyebrow, "I met her ... " He said slowly. "She was a little overbearing but overall she seemed quite normal."

"Looks can be deceiving ... attitudes false." Sam said. "That woman can act. I've known her since before _I_ was a State Alchemist. She used to live fairly close to Tracy and Dave."

"And you met the Shaws when you were twelve?"

"Thirteen," She corrected. "I was passing through Risembool on the way out east. They were already State Alchemists then and lived almost next door to Elizabeth Krimskii. Then I took the State Exam at eighteen, passed, quit last year when Tracy and Dave died, and here I am. But you already know all that." Sam said lightly.

Roy nodded, "So you know Mrs Krimskii through the Shaws?" Sam nodded, shovelling another bite into her mouth. "You know, you still haven't told me what's so awful about Kaytie's mother."

"It doesn't matter." Sam answered. "All that does is that I don't want Morgan there. So I'll just have to go get her and bring her home with me. We can retrieve Celina from her grandmother's too."

"Celina?"

"Morgan's sister." Sam said. "So she's in Risembool, right?"

Roy paused, "Er..."

"She's not there anymore, is she?" Sam asked, flatly.

"No, not exactly..." Roy said, examining the expression on Samantha's face. Aside from utter loathing, a deep fury was etched onto her face.

"Then where is she?" Sam asked slowly, in a strained voice.

"I believe she should be back here soon, as there is an assessment..."

"Where is she?" Sam repeated.

"I have no idea." Roy cowered under her gaze. She was too much like Riza for her own good. "Well, actually that's not entirely true. I believe she's in Xenotyme at the moment."

"Xenotyme?" Sam said, aghast. She was too surprised to be angry for a moment. "What is she doing way the hell out there?"

"Have you ever heard of Edward Elric?" Roy asked tentatively.

"Of course!" Sam said indignantly. "For one thing Morgan knew him and his brother when she was little and then there's only the fact that he's a famous State Alchemist." She scoffed. "Honestly, me not knowing who Edward and Alphonse Elric are ...! I did used to live with the Shaws, you know. They were only at our house _all the time_."

And then something seemed to sink in as Roy winced. "You mean she's with them?" She asked slowly. He nodded. "Oh, my God." Sam had to pause to pacify herself. "She's gonna get herself killed. Morgan isn't equipped to handle things like that." She sighed. "I'll just have to track her down and find her."

Roy sighed also, "Wouldn't it be easier to wait until she got back to Eastern?"

Sam shook her head. "Nope. Morgan's a walking-talking disaster waiting to happen! She's so clumsy she's almost disabled. So, yeah, she needs help quick."

Roy rolled his eyes. "It's hard to imagine you living with Morgan as a child." He said suddenly.

"Well," Sam shrugged. "I did move out when I got my licence, right? So, er, she was about six when I left. And then they moved shortly after, and I became Morgan's tutor, and Celina's as soon as she was old enough."

"I see," Roy said.

Sam nodded, "So, what I said to you in you office this morning wasn't exactly true, I guess. I did have people to turn too."

"I knew that."

"I know you did. Morgan always had been an idiot ... wanting to follow in her parents footsteps ... look where it got them!" She said angrily.

"I know, Sam." Roy said. "Wow," He leaned back into his chair. "It's weird seeing you again."

"I know," Sam agreed. "I haven't seen you since I picked Morgan up after the funeral last year."

He nodded, "So, you got anyone special in your life?"

Sam smiled coyly, "Not at the moment. I can see you do though. That first lieutenant who stepped in front of you this morning, eh? She's quite pretty."

Roy coughed on his food suddenly, looking at Sam in horror. His face was ever so slightly red. "Wh-what? Riza an-and me? No, no, no, no. Come, now, Sam, when have you even known me to settle down?"

Sam laughed, "That is a good point." She said. "But there's a first for everything, isn't there?"

Roy smirked, "Then what do you say to a first date with me?"

Sam grinned, "Not a chance."

* * *

Kaytie was sitting on the train, next to Envy, bored out of her mind. They were headed back to Eastern for State Assessment. She was fidgeting. 

"Would you just _sit still_?!" Envy asked, clearly agitated.

"Sorry," She said lightly. However bored she may have been, Kaytie was excited to finally be going home. She'd never admit it to anyone, but she did miss Roy. She missed Morgan too, but she wouldn't be back until the assessment, as she was still off with the Elric brothers.

Kaytie dug through her bag and pulled out her journal. Envy eyed it warily, knowing he wouldn't be able to read it, as it was written in code. He watched as she pulled her long, red hair into a messy bun, a few strands hanging down at random. He scowled and looked away; she was so troublesome.

She open the journal and pressed the pen tip to the paper.

It's me, in case you've not already guessed that. As if someone else would be writing in my awesome, fabulous, code...! Okay, maybe I'm a little bit hyper ... but I'm finally going home! I've missed Morgan so much, and she should be back for the inspection. And ... if this ever gets out to the public I will thoroughly deny it, bit I even missed Roy. But only a little.

All of a sudden, Kaytie felt a sharp pain to her shin; Envy had kicked her! Her pen dragged across the paper, ripping it and ruining the page. She glared at him, seeing that he was smirking, rubbing her leg. "You're a jerk." She muttered.

"No," He disagreed. "I'm more of a rapid pull."

"You know," Kaytie said, sitting upright. "You think you're funny, but you're not. You're really not." She gave him a deadpan look. "You're an idiot."

"_I'm_ an idiot? Look who's talking." Envy said back, feeling slightly agitated.

Kaytie glared at him, shoving her journal back into her bag. Then she sighed, looking at her lap, not being able to stare him in the eyes any longer. Ever since he picked her up, the tension in the train compartment was so thick it could be cut with a knife. She wasn't sitting near him, not even beside, not even touching, but it felt like an electric current was coursing though her body. She stared out the window, trying to ignore it, wondering if he was aware of how hard her heart was pounding in her chest.

It was a completely foreign feeling to her. She'd never felt anything like it before. When he was away, she missed him so strongly it almost cause physical pain, however much she denied it, not even confiding in her journal, fearing that acknowledging it might cause it to strengthen. But when he was with her, she was self-conscious and fidgety, almost wanting him to leave before she blurted out something she knew she'd regret, but at the same time, knowing that if he left, she would feel that strange ache she couldn't place.

Before she met Envy, Kaytie used to crave the precious moments she had to herself but now she was in conflict; torn between intense loneliness and repulsion at herself for feeling that she needed to rely on someone. She sighed, aggravated and annoyed, so frustrated she could tear her hair out.

Envy stared at the pathetic, frail human before him ... or at least he was trying to convince himself she was pathetic and frail. Their eyes were locked in a silent staring contest, apprehension flashing in her eyes. She broke the gaze, averting her stare to her lap. Envy continued to watch her for a moment, wondering why she had broken the stare, wondering if she too could feel the stimulation in the compartment.

He scowled to himself, feeling like the idiot that Lust always told him he was. Emotions were a thing of the past, and hopefully, with the help of Kaytie a thing of the future.

Suddenly he was cut from his thoughts as a heavy object connected with his face. He was forcibly reminded of when Kaytie chucked her sketchbook at him. The item landed with a thud in his lap and he grinned, picking it up, "Oh? What do we have here?"

It was Kaytie's diary. He glanced at her, smirking, to find that she was staring innocently out the window, a light blush dusted across her cheeks. Envy opened the diary to the last page she'd written on to find only four words not scrawled in her code. They were in English.

_I'm glad you're here. _

* * *

Morgan was slumped over in her seat, as usual, just as the train started. Ed sighed; having her lean on him wasn't the most comfortable position in the world. His arm was going numb for the combination of not moving it and from Morgan's weight. 

She shifted suddenly, moving closer to him and burying her head into his shoulder. He sighed, a light blush dusting across his cheek as Al tried to stifle a laughed. Ed glared at him. "Shut up, Al. She's heavy!" He whined.

Al chuckled, "Don't let her hear you say that." He warned. "She'd kill you."

Ed grimaced. "Yeah, I know." He sighed, trying to ignore the sound of her even breathing. Just then, he grinned evilly. "Hey, Al!"

"No," Al automatically responded, knowing what his brother wanted to do.

"It'll be fun!" Ed prompted. Come on, let's wake her up!"

Al sighed, knowing Ed would do it anyway, whether he joined in or not. "Ed--"

But Ed was already shaking Morgan's shoulders. "Wake-y - wake-y, eggs and bake-y!" he sang.

Morgan raised her head to look at him. She was glaring. "Why did you wake me up?" She demanded in a slightly hoarse voice, pushing herself off Ed, blushing slightly.

He shrugged, "You were heavy." He said simply. She punched his flesh arm. "I hope you know that didn't hurt." He said. "This just further reinforces the fact that I do, eventually need to teach you how to fight."

Morgan glared at him again, attempting to straighten her hair out. She threw it up into a messy bun and sighed, her eyes threatening to close again as she rested her head against the window.

"Uh, No," Ed said, gabbing her shoulders and pulling her up again. She groaned. "No sleeping. Play poker with Al and me."

She shook her head, "You cheat." She said simply, to which Al started laughing. The clicking of the train along the tracks was lulling her to sleep again.

"I promise I won't cheat!" Ed said, annoyed and almost pleading. He didn't want her to fall back asleep because if she did, he'd find her with her head resting on his shoulder. This was bad because a blush would stain his cheeks and then Al would guess... horrible things would happen if Al guessed.

"Fine." She said groggily, pulling herself up as Ed produced a deck of cards from his pocket. He dealt quickly and Al sighed, knowing that Ed would cheat. He always cheated.

Morgan hid her cards from Ed and Al, glancing at them. Shoot. She had nothing ... yet anyway. She bit her lip; maybe she'd try out those new deception skills she'd acquired during her stay in Xenotyme. "What's the ante?" She asked.

"I don't know." Ed said. "I wasn't thinking that we were playing for anything really." He said, sounding slightly surprised.

Morgan smirked, the expression not suiting her. "It's no fun if you're not playing for anything." She said.

"... Fine," Ed said. "If you want to up your bet, you have to take on one extra task the person who wins chooses for you. Since you asked me and not Al, the ante's worth ... um... Ha! If you lose the hand, the ante's worth doing all the paperwork that Mustang would normally have me do when we get to Eastern!" He looked smug and pleased with himself that he'd thought of something so great.

"I fold." Al said instantly, knowing what the paperwork was like.

Morgan smirked uncharacteristically again. "Bring it on," She said as he dealt the flop. Shoot, Morgan still had nothing. No ... wait, that was a lie ... she had a pair of twos. "My turn!" She said in a singsong voice. "To up the bet, if you lose, in addition to doing Roy's paperwork, you have to ... Oh! I know, introduce yourself to everyone that day as 'Hello, My name is Idiot-Stick, nice to meet you.' ...Even if you already know them."

Al couldn't help but laugh. "That was good, Morgan. Much better than Ed's."

"Thanks for the support, Al." Ed muttered as he dealt the turn. Morgan still had nothing. She was beginning to get desperate. Now all she had to rely on was the river. Neither of them upped the bet any further as he dealt this.

"Okay. The final bet." Ed said, pausing for the dramatic effect. "If you lose, you have to do Mustang's paperwork, introduce yourself as Idiot-Stick, and ... say your completely honest thoughts when someone asks you what you're thinking."

"How would you know if they're lying?" Morgan asked.

"One: you can't lie. Two: I'm hoping you know me too well to know if I was lying or not." Ed said.

Morgan shrugged, knowing she was going to lose. She only had that one pair of twos.

Ed smirked; he knew he was going to win. He had a Royal Flush and he hadn't even cheated! It was brilliant. "What do you have?" He asked.

Morgan blushed slightly and laid down her hand. "A pair of twos..." She said sheepishly.

"You bet all that on a pair of twos?" He asked incredulously. "Are you crazy?" She shook her head and he sighed, hesitating a fraction of a second. "I ... Have nothing." He lied. Gathering up all the cards and shoving them back in the deck before she had a chance to see his hand.

"You bet all that on nothing?!" She asked loudly. "And you say I'm crazy." The train was slowing to a stop and they stood, grabbing their luggage, or lack-there-of.

Al stood with his brother and Morgan, shaking his head. They were so stubborn. It was painfully obvious to everyone but themselves that their feelings went deeper then friends and Al had to admit, he'd seen it coming even when he was younger, before Morgan had moved away.

He'd seen Ed's hand before he's shoved it with the rest of the cards. He beat her so easily that she would have been going up to Kaytie, who must have been back at Eastern by now, and introducing herself as Idiot-Stick. He giggled slightly at the thought.

_'If Ed would give up a Royal Flush to keep her happy without her knowing it, would he ever acknowledge his feelings?'_ Al wondered. _'Probably not.'_ He answered himself. He knew Ed too well and right then Ed was thinking the last thing Morgan needed was to be involved with him. He was probably also thinking something along the lines of he couldn't get distracted because of their search.

Al sighed. Somehow, someway, he would get them together, even if he had to enlist the help of the Colonel and Kaytie. Even if it took until after their search was finished, which seemed more likely than not.

"Hey, Al, whatchya thinkin'?" Morgan asked, curious as to why he was so quiet as they exited the station.

"Hey!" Al said, slightly defensive. "_I'm_ not the one who agreed to that insane bet." Morgan laughed.


	21. Chapter 21

Authors' Notes:

Chibi-chan: ... No, we're not dead. However, we're extremely sorry. I know I said that we would be updating between with fewer long breaks in between but that didn't work out.  
I have been unbelievably busy with school, mostly. I've been working on it as much as I could but that doesn't really give me an adequate excuse. I've had a million tests and projects lately (as a matter of fact, I should be studying now; I have a Chemistry test tomorrow...).  
I'm completely ashamed at how long it took me to update this chapter. Although I can't really assure that it will never happen again, due to my work load, I can promise to try to update quicker. Feel free to harass us if it does, it makes me feel guilty and I will either a) provide a good reason for the lack of updates ot b) (probably the better option...) update because I feel so guilty.  
Once again, I'm really sorry for the inconvience.

Jin's Lady: And here we go ance again with Chibi-chan's rambling...

Chibi-chan: Shut up.

Jin's Lady: Well, I might was well do the disclaimer then. We do not own anything about FullMetal Alchemist. We do however own this story, and Morgan and Kaytie. Please Read, Review, and Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 21: Silly Arguments**

When Kaytie and Envy arrived in Eastern, Kaytie hopped off the train with such vigour that she fell flat on her face. She sat up, rubbing her nose, "I'm turning into Morgan," She muttered, accepting Envy's hand to pull her up so she was standing. "If I'm not careful, I'll become another walking-talking disaster and Eastern can only handle one of those." She joked. Envy stared at her. "Never mind," She sighed; it had been an inside joke between her and Morgan.

"Let's go then," Envy said as he began to walk ahead of her. From the back, and even from the front, he was no longer distinguishable as the Envy she met. Instead of looking like a palm tree wearing a skirt, he looked ... normal. Kaytie almost scolded herself for thinking it.

"Hey, Spikey! Wait up!" She called as she jogged to catch up with him. His hair was a deep brown, darker than Morgan's, Kaytie noticed, and looked as if it was gelled into careful disarray and his eyes were no longer the strange, captivating shade of violet they once were, they were a deep blue. She decided she liked his unusual look better.

"What are you staring at?" He asked.

"Your lack of spikes." Kaytie answered. "I can't call you Spikey anymore." She stated, pouting slightly.

"Awe, poor baby." He smirked mockingly. The new smirk didn't have the same infuriating effect as his old one.

"Exactly." Kaytie replied seriously. "You know what we need in companion to your ... costume, for lack of a better word? We need a new name for you." She said, looking pensive. "I can't really walk around calling you Envy, now can I?"

He sighed, running a hand through his new short hair. It annoyed Kaytie; he never used to do that when his hair looked like palm-tree leaves. "Well, what do you suggest?" He asked, sounding unpleased with having to go by a different name.

"I don't know," Kaytie said, startled at being asked her opinion. "What about..." She thought for a moment. "Sano?"

Envy stated at her incredulously, "Sano?" He repeated.

"Yep." Kaytie said, smiling, knowing he hated it.

"You're going to call me it even if I don't agree, aren't you?" Envy asked flatly.

"Yep," Kaytie repeated. "You should just save yourself the hassle of arguing."

"Joy," Envy muttered sarcastically. 

* * *

Two pairs of shoes and an armoured pair of feet sloshed through the puddles that flooded the pavement. "I hate the rain," Morgan announced, pulling up the hood on her sweater, knowing it was useless to even try. Her hair was frizzed out passed the point of attempting to tame it.

Ed sighed, "Yeah, well, everyone hates _something_," He said, the inflection in his voice obvious. "Or someone," He muttered.

"Awe, poor baby," Morgan mocked. "You have to go see the big-bad Mustang. Oh, the horror!"

"Be quiet," He said.

Al sighed. For the last half an hour of walking, they'd been bickering and it was driving him up the wall. Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Al saw the saddest thing. A small, yellow kitten was huddled on the side of the road. It seemed to call to him. He stole over to it, trying his hardest to make his armour not clang.

As Al picked it up, it leaned into his touch and purred. "Meeooow" It sang. Al sweat dropped, nervously looking over his shoulder to see if Ed and Morgan had heard anything suspicious. However, he found they were too busy bickering over nonsense to hear anything worth hearing. He was thankful as he quietly opened his chest plate and gently placed the kitten inside.

"Do you have to be annoying all the time?" Morgan asked loudly.

"Do you have to be annoying all the time?" Ed mocked, attempting to imitate her voice.

"Shut up," Morgan said acidly as she pushed through the door that lead to Headquarters.

Just as she was about to take the first step up the stairs, she froze. A loud, piercing scream echoed through the building. Hesitating momentarily to glance at each other with concern, the three raced up the stairs, Al going as fast as he could without damaging the poor kitten.

They burst into Colonel Mustang's office and Morgan sweat dropped; this is what the big emergency was? A handful of lieutenants were crowded around a small black and white dog. As soon as she got over her irritation, she made forward to pet it. She made it all of one step before Ed grabbed her upper arm and dragged her backward out of the room.

"What was that for?" She demanded angrily.

"They were going to try to pass if off on us!" Ed said, narrowing his eyes toward the door.

"Oh" Morgan sighed, knowing he was right. Even though he hadn't out right said that they couldn't keep it, they just didn't have the time or resources to care for it.

"Meeeewww!" Echoed from inside Al's armour and he sweat dropped. Morgan and Ed both turned to him, "What was that?" Ed asked slowly.

Al cleared his throat, "That was my stomach growling?"

"That was a cat wasn't it?" Morgan asked in a curious voice.

Al laughed nervously "It was so helpless though!"

Ed started forward and snatched Al's chest plate off his armour. Inside lay a fuzzy yellow kitten with curious eyes bundled up in some damp blanket. "It looked cold," Al defended himself.

Ed sighed and opened his mouth to speak, "Al" It looked like it pained his to have to do this. "You know we can't keep it"

"Well, what am I supposed to do?" Al asked, sounding hurt and angry. "It's pouring rain out there!"

Morgan watched the exchange, pitying both of the brothers. Ed had to break it to Al that the _couldn't_ keep the kitten and Al was going to be crushed. Crushing Al was rather like hitting a kitten over the head with a blunt object.

"No, Al, you know we can't do that." He said softly.

Morgan was sure, if he'd been able to, that Al's eyes would have filled up with tears. "You _Jerk_!" Al shouted as he abruptly shoved Ed out of the way and sprinted in the other direction, receiving a few stares.

"Ah, damn!" Ed cussed. "Al, think of the kitten!" He called out. The small, fragile-looking yellow kitten was clinging to Al's open chest plate, hanging on for dear life.

"I am!" Al shouted back.

Morgan sighed, "Should I go after him?" She asked.

Ed shook his head. "I think he might want some time alone."

Morgan shook her head, "Yeah, probably."

"Aquatic-" Morgan twitched. "FullMetal, a word, if you please." Riza Hawkeye called to them.

"Right," Morgan muttered to herself as she followed Ed over.

"We're not keeping the dog," He said instantly and Morgan allowed herself a small smile.

Riza gave him a shrewd glare before ignoring his comment. "I was just asked to remind you that your assessment is tomorrow, I trust you're ready?"

Morgan's mouth went dry; assessment? She'd completely forgotten about it.

"I think," The first lieutenant went on, "That the Furher expects a one report submitted by both of you but the Colonel would still like to speak with each of you separately in his office."

"Lovely," Morgan mumbled, her voice saturated with sarcasm.

"He's busy at the moment with paperwork but he'd like to see Ed in a few minutes, no doubt trying to shirk his duties again" He stared disapprovingly at the wooden door for a moment before sighing. "Morgan, after Ed, he'd like to speak with you also."

Morgan nodded good-naturedly, "Sure," She said, not up to protesting. She felt sorry for the first lieutenant; it must have been hard looking after someone like Roy.

"Wait about five minutes, okay?" Riza said. "Maybe he'll actually be doing his job for once" She trailed off as she left and Morgan got the impression that they weren't supposed to hear that last comment.

"Great," Ed sneered at the floor. "'Where are you FullMetal? You're so short I can't see you,'" He mocked Mustang. He sighed, "The highlight of my day."

"Oh, quit whining," Morgan snapped. "You can be so annoying."

"And you can be such a bit-" Ed mumbled, breaking off as he noticed her glaring at him.

"If I'm such a bitch, then why did you let me come with you?" She asked, her voice not betraying the hurt she felt at his words.

For a second Ed looked taken aback and then his eyebrows knitted together, "Because you all but begged me." He snarled.

"Yeah," Morgan laughed sarcastically, glad there was no one around to hear their quarrel. "Because I was _worried_ that you wouldn't come back! You have no idea how much Winry worries about you!" She ranted, throwing he hands up in the air, frustrated. "What? Do you think I begged you to come, blindly, not knowing the possible consequences?"

Ed stared back, "So this was all for Winry's sake then?" He said calmly, wondering if it was true.

Morgan hesitated and he sighed, feeling relieved; she was lying. "Of course it is!" She said harshly after a moment. "Why would I worry about _you_? I haven't seen you in seven years!"

"Fine," Ed bluffed. "You can just stay here when Al and I leave, contented to be doing Mustang's paperwork."

Morgan forced herself to calm down and she sighed. "Do you not want me to come with you?" She asked, trying once again to mask her voice from betraying the hurt that the thought gave her. It didn't thoroughly work.

Ed's breathing hitched unnoticeably; that was the last thing he wanted. However, it would seem terribly selfish of him to think of what he wanted at the moment. Perhaps she would be better here? Out of harms way and safe at Headquarters, as he once suggested to her back in Risembool? Kaytie, for once, was right; Morgan was the biggest klutz he'd ever seen. "What if I said I did? Want you to stay here, I mean." He asked carefully.

Morgan took a deep breath, "If you did say that, speaking completely hypothetical situations here, there would be two things I'd ask you. First I'd ask you to remember the bet we made on the train, the one you lost, the one that said to always tell the truth when asked a question for the day.

"The second question I'd ask is whether you're saying that for my benefit or because you honestly didn't want me around." She paused for a second waiting for him to say something. When Ed remained silent, she went on. "If you were to say that you truly didn't want me around, I'd say here. If not, I'd say screw my well-being and I'd come with you anyway."

Ed glared at her; he was surprised that she was able to tell so easily that he was lying. "You know," he said, no longer feeling angry. "You're a terrible liar. Especially since you just basically confessed you were lying."

Morgan flushed slightly, "Don't dodge the question," She said, her mask of calm still in place.

"I thought we were speaking hypothetically?" He answered back, receiving a glare. Ed sighed, "Fine, yes I was lying but in all fairness, so were you."

"How did you know?" Morgan asked, she knew she all but confessed that she was lying with her spiel about her well-being but she thought she'd lied about Winry pretty well.

"You hesitated." He answered. "How did you know I was lying?"

Morgan rolled her eyes, "Did you really think I'd believe that you didn't want me around? Come on, give me some credit." She replied, a slight smirk forming on her lips.

Ed gave a weak smile and sighed, "I guess I should know you better," He said. "I better get to my meeting with Mustang," He rolled his eyes, the easy smile still one his face.

Morgan took a seat in one of the vacant chairs as she watched ed knock on Mustang's door. "Come in," His amused voice echoed. Ed reached for the doorknob but before his fingers even touched it, the door swung forward, smacking him in the face. Morgan burst out laughing.

"Ha ha ha," Ed sneered, holding his nose, which was now blossoming blood. "Very funny, absolutely hilarious!"

"I thought so," A voice Morgan knew oh-so-well answered.

Morgan's laughing ceased immediately and her head snapped up. Kaytie Krimskii was turned away from her, walking in the other direction without giving her a backward glance. Her gaze shifted to Ed, who was entering Mustang's office, muttering to himself darkly.

"Kaytie?" She whispered, not quite loud enough to be heard. Then it sank in and her eyes lit up; after almost two months, she was seeing her best friend again. However, as soon as the words escaped her lips, someone followed Kaytie out of the office.

Kaytie's long flaming red hair was knotted at the base of her neck into a loose bun. As always, she was wearing her blue military uniform. The only thing that seemed any different about her was the atmosphere surrounding her and, of course, the person she was standing with.

The fact that he was two or three years older than Kaytie's fifteen years was visibly apparent and Morgan, although she felt incredibly biased upon thinking this as she'd never met him before, felt that she didn't want to meet him; he was _dangerous_. The way his careful disarray of brown hair fell into his dark blue eyes, which seemed to light up as he broke into an easy grin in response to something he said to Kaytie suggested casualness but Morgan couldn't shake her previous intuition. Even though she saw that he seemed harmless enough, traveling with Ed and Al had taught her that even the most seemingly harmless people could in fact be deadly.

This was the primary reason she didn't call for Kaytie's attention straight away. Her secondary reason was that she didn't want to seem rude; they looked like they were in a pretty intense conversation, possibly arguing. And, had she been in Kaytie's position, as she was a minute ago with Ed, she would have dies of embarrassment if they'd been caught. She took a moment to regain her sanity, pushing all conscious thoughts of Kaytie's friend being less than friendly into subconscious, and then got to her feet and started toward them.

* * *

"No!" Kaytie muttered back fiercely.

"What?" Envy asked, smiling only slightly. "Don't you _know_ your best friend is staring at us, probably wondering who the hell I am?" He suddenly scowled. "What, don't want to introduce her to 'Sano'?"

Kaytie shook her head; that was only part of the reason. She knew she needed to come up with a story.

Of course, she'd use the 'assignment' that had started this whole predicament; the trap to lure her into the circumstance whilst also covering for her as she disappeared. Yes, that would coincide with what Morgan would come across at Headquarters, also.

However, she had a much bigger problem. Morgan was now traveling with Ed and Al and Kaytie was supposed to be unaware of that fact. Feigning ignorance might be harder than she originally assumed, however. She needed a valid reason to dissuade Morgan from leaving with them again.

Her previous thoughts that she'd leave once she'd gotten the gist of their lifestyle, had been proven false and she didn't return to Risembool. Although, since discovering certain facts that her mother had been keeping from her, like potentially once being a State Alchemist, she'd almost rather Morgan not return. However, it would be preferred to the alternative possibility of dying.

This thought reminded her of another task she knew she had to do in the new future. A visit to her mother; she wanted to know no she needed to know whether Mrs Krimskii had been a State Alchemist. Seeing Miguel again would be the only positive thing that came out of that situation and, of course, Alicia.

"Quiet," Envy taunted, shaking her from her thoughts. His 'Sano smirk', as she'd dubbed it, was playing on his lips. "She's coming."

Kaytie stood rigid and took a deep breath, turning on her heel. "Morgan!" She greeted, a wide smile split across her face. Kaytie arranged her face into a look of confusion.

Morgan looked exactly the same as she always did; her dull brown hair, which fell past her shoulders now, was frizzy from the rain and her chocolate brown eyes were lit up as she beamed up at her best friend. "Kaytie!" Her excitement wasnt faked, but there was something dimming about it. Her bangs were falling into her eyes and needed a trim, and as always, Morgan was dressed head-to-toe in blue.

"What are you doing here?" Kaytie asked, sounding pleasantly surprised. "Aren't you supposed to be in Risembool?"

Morgan looked bewildered, "What do you mean? I have to be here; the assessment's tomorrow."

"Oh," Kaytie said. "Well, I thought since you were living with my parents, maybe Roy would just speak to Pr-" Envy elbowed her hard in the ribs and Kaytie hoped Morgan didn't notice her slip up. "King Bradley and he'd let you hand it in late." Kaytie explained, hoping her reason sounded reasonable.

"But I haven't been living in Risembool." Morgan said, smiling now. "Ed and Al showed up a while ago and I've been traveling with them for almost a month now." She looked puzzled. "How did you not know that if you've been here? Surely Roy would have told you?" But then words from forever ago caught up with her. _You'd think Roy would have gotten you an assignment by now but he's busy with Kaytie or was- I don't know!_ Ed had said those words to her back in Risembool but she hadn't given them a second thought.

"I haven't been here either." Kaytie said. "I've been away researching my assignment."

"You're still not done that?" Morgan asked.

"It's er, ongoing." Kaytie answered, inwardly grimacing at her pathetic excuse.

But Morgan nodded good-naturedly, not knowing that she lied. Kaytie stared at her curiously; usually Morgan would have been able to tell _that_ lie. It was just so bad. Kaytie sighed inwardly; it was probably just because they haven't been around each other in a long time.

"So Traveling with Ed and Al, eh?" Kaytie said, trying (and failing) to sound offhand.

Morgan nodded, "It's great," She said.

"Hmmm." Kaytie mumbled, a dark shadow passing over her eyes. She was having a difficult time keeping her opinion on Morgan traveling with the Elrics inside her head rather than voicing it, which seemed a much more viable option. "Are you sure that's a good decision?"

Morgan's eyes narrowed, "Why wouldn't it be?" She asked, knowing she was about to get the safety lecture.

Envy sighed, suppressing a grin. The tension in the room was wonderful. He knew that should he leave, it would dissolve but this was just too fun to watch.

Kaytie glared at her best friend, "Do I have to count the reasons?!" She said sarcastically, letting all pretenses fly out the window. Envy sighed and Kaytie rounded on him, glaring as he rolled his eyes in boredom. "One!" She said, her voice rising as she turned back to Morgan. "They're dangerous!" She ticked it off her on her fingers. "Two: You're naive and too innocent! Three: You're a walking-talking disaster-waiting-to-happen!" Two more fingers were pressed to her palm. "Four:" Kaytie said again, no longer yelling, seeming to have gotten hold of her emotions. She almost sounded sympathetic or was it empathy? "You've probably already fallen for him haven't you?" Morgan flushed a deep shade of red but Kaytie went on without giving her time to rebut. "And Five! You could die!!"

Everything Kaytie had been worrying about had escaped her lips and, although she felt a great deal better, it looked as though Morgan was struggling to decide whether to storm off angry or burst into tears.

Morgan stood still for a moment, too angry to move. Hot tears had built up in the corners of her eyes but she forced them back, cursing silently to herself; her anger had always seemed to be hardwired to her tear ducts. Kaytie sighed and Morgan looked up.

She was nudging her friend, "Sano don't you have to speak to Pr- King Bradley about something?" Kaytie asked. Morgan stared at her; that was the second time today she'd almost called the Furher something different.

"No," Sano replied smirking. It sent chills down Morgan's spine.

Kaytie's eyes flashed, "_Yes_, I believe you mentioned something very important on that train that was urgent." She said clenching her teeth, looking infuriated.

Sano's eyes widened innocently, "I don't recall" He said, shrugging.

"Go!" Kaytie hissed, advancing on him. "Now!"

He rolled his eyes, looking thoroughly unconcerned, shoving his hand into his pocked and stocked off in the opposite direction. Morgan watched him go, amazed. Had Kaytie been advancing on her like that she wouldn't have been able to glare back so defiantly.

The tension between the two friends seemed to evaporate and a moment passed in awkwardness before they launched themselves at each other and into a tight hug.

"I missed you soooo much!" Morgan said laughing.

"You don't even know!" Kaytie smiled.

A door clicked open nearby and the man stepping out of it smirked and sighed in mock despair. "It was then they realized that neither one of them needed a man" The teasing voice of Roy Mustang met their ears and then an eruption of Edward Elric's laughter.


	22. Chapter 22

Authors' Notes:

Chibi-chan: Well we're back, which is a happy thing. What's not a happy thing is how long it took us to update. Throughout December we had no excuse (If you don't count school [Ew, my Biology dissection almost killed me... But I'm sad the class is over. I had to study for Math really hard and then the Ancient History essay...) Anyway, that semester is over and the only really hard things i have this semester are Physics (And I'm pretty good at that) and English (Ew, the essays...) so updates should be faster. :)

Jin's Lady: Doesn't it see that every chapter we update we go through Chibi-chan's little rant and apology? Anyway, This is the chapter so yeah. Roy! The disclaimer!

Roy: Chibi-chan and Jin's Lady do now own anything of FMA however, they do own this story and they do own Morgan, Kaytie, and Sam. Can I go now?

Jin's Lady: Fine. Read, Review, and Enjoy the chapter!

**

* * *

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**Chapter 22: The Art of Sparring**

Morgan skidded across the ground for the fifth time. "Hold on," She gasped as she propped herself up on her elbow. Her hair was sticking to her face, saturated with sweat and her dark blue cargo pants had three rips in them.

Ed sighed; he'd been trying to teach her the art of sparring for at least an hour. She was hopeless. Morgan lacked the proper balance and coordination to spar with anyone without doing physical harm to herself. "Are you okay?" Ed asked, kneeling next to her. "You fell pretty hard..."

"Fine," Morgan muttered bitterly, angry at herself for not falling properly. She'd grazed her forearm on the concrete and blood was trickling down her wrist.

"We're taking a break." Ed stated, pulling Morgan to her feet gingerly. "Let me bandage your arm."

"No" Morgan made a weak attempt to pull her arm free from Ed's but failed miserably. "I can't take a break!" She said, her frustration made obvious in her voice.

---------------------------

"It was then they realized that neither one of the needed a man," Roy smirked and Ed burst out laughing.

Morgan stuck her tongue out maturely at them but she and Kaytie dropped their arms and retreated back a step. "You wish," Kaytie said haughtily.

Roy chuckled and rolled his eyes as Kaytie scowled. "Morgan, I need to speak with you about your assessment."

She nodded, sighing and following him into his office. He took his seat behind his desk and she pulled up one of the uncomfortable hard chairs and sat in front of him.

"How are you doing travelling with the Elrics?" He asked after a moment.

Morgan shrugged, "Well, I've almost been killed three times, been mocked for my talent by complete psychos, oh, and wait... been shackled to a wall, almost drowned by red water, and have fallen more times than I can count on both my hands." She said, smiling. "So, I'd say it's not going too-too bad."

Roy rolled his eyes, "What's your definition of too-too bad?" He asked, smiling. "Has Ed taught you how to spar?"

Morgan grimaced, "He keeps saying he will but we just don't have time. It's one thing after another, there's never a break."

Roy nodded; he knew how the Elric brothers lived. "Well, before you set out again, I think you should have him teach you."

Morgan sighed, nodding. "So, Kaytie's been away for her assignment?" She asked.

Roy's face darkened. "You don't even know. You think you've been worried about her; I come home to find our apartment covered in blood and the window shattered, among other things with Kaytie nowhere to be found. I almost had a heart attack."

Morgan's jaw dropped, "What happened?!"

Roy shook his head, "I'm not even sure. We were searching for her for a while because no one knew where she was. But then she calls out of the blue saying she's doing that assignment from Furher Bradley and that she heard someone broke into our apartment." He ran his hand through his hair, "I told her to call me every couple days until she got back, but, well, you know Kaytie... Then she shows up today with that other kid, says his name's Sano. King Bradley apparently gave him permission to be in here. And I checked it out, he was telling the truth!"

Morgan was silent a moment, just long enough to get over her shock. "Well, the only thing I can say about Sano is that I don't like him. Did you find the atmosphere was tense when he was around? Kaytie and I could barely get a word out..."

Roy sighed again, "You could've cut the tension with a knife. It's never been like that with Kaytie and me... Not even when I kicked you out of your apartment..."

Morgan folded her hands in her lap, "Well, she's a big girl, I'm sure she knows what she's doing ... maybe."

Roy studied her for a moment. There was something different about her, compared to the Morgan who left Eastern over a month ago. She was still mousy and small but somehow changed --

"So is there something else?" Morgan asked, slightly uncomfortable as Mustang was staring at her.

Roy came out of his daze and shook his head, "No, wait... yes."

Morgan looked confused.

He took a deep breath and dived in, "Sam was here."

_Sam_

There was a pause where anxiety hung in the air and then Morgan spoke calmly. She cleared her throat, "What-what did she want?"

"Well," Roy said. "Mostly, she wanted to know ..." He hesitated. "She wanted to know why I let you become a State Alchemist."

"Please tell me she's not still here..." Morgan asked. She knew that if Sam was there, she'd be in a lot of trouble. Trouble for not telling her that she was training to take the Exam, trouble for travelling with the Elrics, and trouble for having her licence in the first place.

"She's not. I told her it would be better if she waited here but she went to Xenotyme to look for you." Roy answered.

"So I take it you told her that I was with Ed and Al. How did she react?" Morgan asked, closing her eyes, bracing herself.

"Um, I believe her exact words were 'She's gonna get herself killed. Morgan isn't equipped to handle things like that.'"

Morgan's eyes hardened, "Not equipped?" She said coldly. "So I've been hearing from just about everyone." She snorted bitterly. "Yeah, well, we'll see about not equipped."

If this had been Kaytie talking, Roy would have been worried about her doing something stupid. But Morgan was smarter than that ... well; he hoped she was smarter than that.

"She mentioned something when she was here," Roy said hesitantly.

"Other than me being ill-equipped, you mean?" Morgan asked sarcastically.

"Hey, I never said that. I defended you, just so we're clear." Roy stated, running a hand through his hair. "But yes, other than that. She mentioned Mrs Krimskii. When you were staying with her, did you find anything out?"

Morgan's thoughts immediately flashed back to the alchemy book. "Not while I was staying with her," She said slowly. "But in Xenotyme. I haven't told Ed about it yet... or Kaytie. I don't think she knows either."

"What did you find out?"

"Well, I was, for lack of a better word, spying for Ed and Al. The boy I was with, Russell, sent me to get a book from the library for him. The title struck me as odd because it was so simple: Alchemy. That's it." Morgan took a breath. "Well, I found it and the author was Elizabeth Krimskii. I asked Russell about it and either there are a hell of a lot of coincidences or it's Kaytie's mother. "

There was a heartbeat's pause and Roy sighed, "Kaytie always told me her mother hated alchemy." He mused.

Morgan nodded, "And this book was pretty advanced too. They were making Red Water, after all."

"Well, that might be interesting to look into." Roy said. "And speaking of Red Water, did you and Ed want to submit a report on that for the assessment tomorrow?"

"I'm not sure yet," Morgan answered as she got up to leave.

"Well, I'd hurry up and decide, if I were you. The assessment's tomorrow."

Morgan nodded and reached out to open the door. "Oh!" She suddenly remembered. "Just one more thing, have you ever heard of an Elizabeth Knox?"

* * *

Ed sighed as he sat down in one of the cafeteria seats. He managed to convince Al he wasn't totally heartless but he still didn't have any information on Marco and was convinced Mustang was keeping something from him. He heard Al sigh and the audible clink as he lowered himself into a chair.

"Hey! What's got you two so down?" A loud voice near Ed's ear said. He jumped about a foot in the air, slopping his juice down his front as the sound of laughter met his ears.

Grabbing a few napkins, he attempted to dab the spill away as he turned around to meet the smiling face of Major Hughes. Sighing to get past his annoyance, Ed smiled. "Haven't seen you for a while, Major Hughes."

"That's _Lieutenant Colonel_ to you!" He corrected, smirking at Ed's surprised reaction. "And I know it's been so long! Elysia can ride a tricycle now; she follows me everywhere on it, like my own little messenger of cuteness!"

"Good to see you're still the same," Ed laughed, adding under his breath, "Nice and insane..."

Hughes laughed, "So what brings you two out here?" He asked. "Shouldn't you be off doing something dangerous?"

"The assessment--" Al began.

"Ah," Hughes nodded, "The assessment; of course, of course."

"So why are you here in Eastern and not at HQ in Central?" Al asked.

"Tch! _I_ don't want to be stuck with a bunch of empty offices! It's like everyone's fleeing from that pla-- I never said that." Ed sweatdropped. "Soooo," He said, quickly changed the subject and dropping his voice to a whisper. "How _is_ the search for the You-Know-What Stone?"

Al sighed, and Ed propped his chin on his hand in boredom. "No luck. We have some sort of a lea--!"

"Hughes!" Something blue whipped past Ed and tackled the Lieutenant Colonel standing in front of them. Upon closer inspection, Ed realized it was Morgan. "I haven't seen you in forever!"

"Morgan!" He said, grinning wide as she sheepishly helped him up. "I was wondering when I'd run into you."

"You know Hughes, Morgan?" Al asked.

Morgan grinned widely. "Of course!" She bubbled. "He's the one who tutored me in Military Practice. My parents knew him."

Hughes turned back to Ed as Morgan took a seat beside him, grinning from ear to ear. "What were you saying?" He asked.

Ed glanced at Morgan hesitantly and Al nudged him disapprovingly. "We have some sort of lead." He answered.

"We do?" Morgan asked, "Since when? The last lead we had was Psiren telling us about Xenotyme."

"You didn't tell her yet?" Al asked Ed accusingly.

Ed flinched. "Back in Xenotyme, Velico mentioned a Marcoh."

Morgan nodded, no longer smiling. "Is there a reason you didn't tell me?" She asked. "We _will_ talk about this later."

"You're travelling with Ed and Al, I'm guessing?" Hughes asked.

Morgan nodded, glaring at Ed, who was pointedly avoiding her stare. "Anyway, Mustang claims he doesn't know anything about Marcoh. I think he's hiding something."

Hughes looked thoughtful, "Has it occurred to you that he really might not know anything?" He asked.

"Did you say Marcoh?" A low voice from behind said. Morgan, who was resting her head in her arms on the table, jumped.

They turned to see the figure of Brigadier-General Grand. "Marcoh was a deserter." He said in a low voice. "Six years ago, many alchemists participated in the rebellion in the East. He fought well during the Ishbal Rebellion and he was a noble man. But one day he disappeared and no one had any information on whether he was dead or alive."

Silence followed the Brigadier's explanation. "...Right." Ed said, sighing as Grand turned away. "... I think I know what I'm going to do for my assessment at any rate."

"Really?" Morgan asked. "What?"

"I'm going to request a combat assessment with Mustang." He said, grinning evilly.

"Great." Morgan said unenthusiastically. "What am I supposed to do for the assessment then?"

"You could always write a report," Hughes suggested.

"Yeah," Al agreed. "You're good at those."

"Maybe..." Morgan said as she rose from her seat. She turned to Hughes, "It was good seeing you. I'll probably see you again before we leave but yeah." She smiled. "I'm gonna go find Kaytie." She turned to Ed and Al, "_We_ will talk later."

Morgan caught up with Kaytie ten minutes later as she was coming out of Mustang's office for the second time.

"Worried about me my ass..." She muttered, glaring at the closed door.

"Kaytie!" Morgan called, smiling.

Kaytie located the source of her name and turned to face Morgan. "Hey," She said smiling. "What's up Pipsqueak?"

"Nothing much," Morgan said shrugging. "Wanna grab a cup of coffee with me? I haven't had any today."

"Wow," Kaytie joked, grabbing her jacket which was hanging off a vacant chair. "I'm surprised you're functional."

"Me too," she laughed. "But I don't always have a place to get coffee when I'm with Ed and Al so I've learned to do without."

Kaytie looked like she wanted to say something about Morgan travelling with them but decided against it and bit her lip. "You do without coffee; I don't want to see that!"

The exited Headquarters and rain pelted down onto their hoods. Both of them were silent as they made their way to the closest coffee shop to headquarters. A wave of warm air hit them as they squeezed through the single door and Morgan dropped her hood, pulling her frizzy hair back into a low ponytail at the base of her neck.

As soon as they ordered, they chose a booth farthest from the door. "So did you have an ulterior motive in asking me for coffee?" Kaytie asked as the waiter brought them their drinks.

Morgan, who was sipping her triple-triple, coughed suddenly, choking on her coffee. "How did you know?"

"Please," Kaytie said breezily. "I can read you like a book. So what did you want to talk about?"

"A couple things," Morgan answered hesitantly. "First, have you ever heard of someone named Marcoh?"

Kaytie thought for a moment, "I don't think so. Have you asked Roy?"

Morgan nodded, "Or, at least, Ed has. He says he's never heard of him."

Shrugging, Kaytie took a sip of her hot chocolate. "I'm guessing that isn't everything?" she asked, looking at Morgan knowingly.

"Uh, not exactly," Morgan supplied. She was silent for a moment before deciding how she wanted to approach the topic.

"We were in Xenotyme for awhile." Morgan stated.

Kaytie nodded; Envy had already told her that. Lust was apparently there for a little bit helping some guy named Mugiar.

"I've already told Mustang this, and I hope you won't be angry but I came across this book called _Alchemy_ and it was written by an Elizabeth Krimskii." She said quickly. _'Better to rip the bandage off quickly,'_ She thought. _'There's less stinging involved.'_

Kaytie was silent for a moment. **'Great,'** The voice she liked to think of as her conscience remarked sarcastically. **'In addition to the pipsqueak, we have Mustang to deal with too. Perfect.'** Kaytie sighed. _'Go away,'_

"I already know." She said, rubbing her temples to ward off the growing headache. "I was researching for my assignment and I came across _An Intermediate Guide to Advanced Alchemy_ written by the one and only bitch."

"Oh."

"Yep," Kaytie continued. "So now, when I have time, I have to go and pay her a visit."

Morgan just nodded.

"Anything else work related that you wanted to discuss?" Kaytie asked. Morgan looked as though she were bordering on asking something, however, she snapped her mouth shut and took another sip of coffee. "Good." Kaytie said smiling. "Because you have to tell me when it happened."

"When what happened?" Morgan asked, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

Kaytie smiled slyly. "When you started liking Ed in a more-than-friendship way?"

Morgan's cheeks flushed hotly and she fiddled with her hands. "I hate you." She muttered playfully.

"Well?" Kaytie asked. "I'm waiting..."

Morgan looked up, smirking suddenly. She leaned her elbow on the table and propped her chin on the palm of her hand. "And what about you and Sano?" She teased back.

Kaytie's mouth hung open; that had caught her off guard. "No-nothing's going on!"

Morgan smiled widely, "I never said there was."

It was Kaytie's turn to blush. "Ser-seriously; he's an annoying git and I hate him." She insisted.

"Please," Morgan replied flippantly. "I see the way you look at him. When he's around you're like a whole different Kaytie. You're focussed, you're confident, and it's like nothing else matters." Morgan said, still smiling.

"Ew," Kaytie said, repulsed. "I think you're too much of a romanticist."

"No, seriously!" Morgan said, rolling her eyes. "You didn't even notice me when you came out of Roy's office with him."

"We-we were having an intense discussion." She argued.

"Sure," Morgan smiled.

* * *

As Morgan and Kaytie headed back out into the rain, Kaytie smiled to herself. She'd only been with Morgan for an hour but already things felt 'back to normal'.

They entered the building and Kaytie shook off her hood. "So what do you plan to do after the assessment?" Morgan asked as Kaytie started up the stairs.

"To tell you the truth, I have no idea." Kaytie smiled.

Morgan laughed aloud. "That's so like you; you didn't even tell anyone when you disappeared. You can't have planned it."

"Uh," Kaytie swallowed. "It was kind of a spur of the moment type of thing. I didn't even know I was leaving until I left." She laughed. "I suppose you're going to go back to travelling with the Elrics?"

Morgan nodded, "It's either that or back to Risembool for me. I'll choose the better option, thanks."

"Better option is a matter of opinion." Kaytie muttered, knowing that her mother in Risembool was the lesser of two evils in this situation.

_"Morgan!"_

The girls turned to see Ed and Al coming toward them. Ed was smiling triumphantly.

"I got the combat assessment!" He explained grinning.

"That's great," Morgan smiled.

Kaytie rolled her eyes and Ed glared at her.

"There's only one catch." Al explained. He sounded worried.

"Which would be?" Kaytie asked Ed. "Spit it out; I don't have all day!"

Ed sighed, "Because the Furher was expecting a joined report, you have to do the assessment too." He said.

"You have to fight me?" Morgan asked faintly.

Ed shook his head. "No, you misunderstood me. I have to fight Mustang. You have to go against Kaytie."

There was a stunned silence. "What?" Morgan asked.

**"Excuse me?!"** Kaytie yelled. Another short silence followed Kaytie's outburst. "... I have to go speak to King Bradley. I'll be back."

--------------------------- 

Kaytie had tried to get it changed but the Furher was adamant about having them fight.

Ed finished bandaging Morgan's arm and she was up on her feet again. "Come on," She said. "You have until tomorrow to teach me the art of sparring or, basically, you won't have a Morgan to teach anymore." She said, wiping the sweat off her forehead.

"Don't be sop dramatic." Ed said tiredly. "Kaytie wouldn't actually hurt you ... would she?"

Morgan sighed, sweeping her frizzy hair back into a tight bun for the millionth time in the last hour; it kept coming out when she fell. "You've never seen Kaytie be competitive, have you?" She asked.

"Only when she was little," Ed admitted. "I'm not around her enough to actually know. She was pretty bad then, I'm guessing she's no better now?"

Morgan could only shake her head.


	23. Chapter 23

Authors' Notes:

Chibi-chan: ... 'Allo. We aren't dead. I promise. We updated!! ... and we're sorry. It's taken forever for us to update, almost two months. And really, there aren't any new reasons as to why we haven't updated - it's the same as before; school, extra cirricular activities; distractions with other stories - the works. I have nothing new to say. Sorry. Hopefully updates will be closer together.

Jin's Lady: Wow, she didn't go on a huge rant-like-thing. It's amazing.

Chibi-chan: -.- I hate you. Sarah, who's randomly at my house as I'm typing this will do the disclaimer this time around.

Sarah: What am I doing?

Chibi-chan: The disclaimer.

Sarah: See, I know what that is ... but I don't know how to do it.

Jin's lady: Oh for the love of God.

Chibi-chan: Try anyway.

Sarah: -Baby Voice- The characters in this story do not belong to Krimskii. Well, some of them do - Morgan and Kaytie. -Nods- Am I done yet? ... Please...

Chibi-chan: Good enough. Read, Review, Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 23: Apprehensive Feelings

"No."  
"Why?"  
"No."  
"Please?"  
"No."  
"How come?"  
"Because you're an idiot."  
"Pleeeeeeaaaaaaaaase?!"

"N.O." Envy spelt out the word for her. "It's only two letters, what's so hard to understand about that?" He asked exasperatedly.

"But why not?!" Kaytie whined, not understanding why he wouldn't do this one thing for her.

"How many times do I have to explain this to you?" He complained. "If I ask Pride to drop this fight thing, I won't have anymore success than you did." Envy said. "And besides, how bad would it look of he just let it go?"

Kaytie sighed, "Fine." She mumbled, dissatisfied. "But I really don't want to fight Morgan. Do you know what she's probably going through right now? She's probably tearing her hair out from how scared she is."

Envy stared at her, slightly taken aback. He was used to Kaytie caring about Morgan ... but empathizing with her? That was a first. He didn't think Kaytie was capable of empathy. _And_, as if this wasn't hard enough to understand, she was _sharing_ her feelings! It was too weird. "That's great," Envy answered, trying to convey the thought that he didn't care to her. "This affects me how?"

Kaytie sat up from where she was sprawled out on the hotel bed. "Because I'm travelling with you and if you do not go down and beg King Bradley to cancel this, I will annoy you 'till your ears fall off!" She threatened.

Envy smirked and Kaytie involuntarily smiled; he was back to his regular appearance now that they were out of the public eye. "... How about no." He answered.

The smile slipped from her lips and Kaytie scowled. Envy laughed; she didn't look very intimidating -- her hair was sticking out at odd angles from lying down and she was wearing her pyjamas, which consisted of an overly large black t-shirt and baggy sweat pants. She threw a pillow at him, laughing as it smacked him in the face.

Unable to go back to Kaytie's former apartment because Roy now resided there, they were in a hotel room they'd rented for the night. Being caught with a homunculus wouldn't have been a good thing. The room consisted of a small wooden desk shoved into a corner with a matching chair, an arm chair with a horribly colourful design printed on it, and a small twin bed with the same vivid pattern.

"I hate you..." Kaytie muttered.

"Tell me something I don't know, sweetheart." Envy laughed.

* * *

Morgan couldn't sleep. No matter how hard she tried, how much she tossed and turned, or twisted herself up in the blankets, sleep would not come. When it did come, it was broken. She'd wake up every two or three hours in a nervous cold sweat wondering how badly she was going to embarrass herself tomorrow.

Throwing off the blankets, Morgan sat up and rolled off the couch. The room Ed and Al were provided with only had two beds and she refused to take Al's again.

She shivered and dug through her bag for a sweater. Pulling it over her head, she made her way over to the one and only window in the room. "Why are you still awake?" A sleepy voice said.

Morgan jumped startled, turning to find Ed sitting up in his bed. "Dunno," She answered. "Can't sleep."

"Me either." Ed added.

Morgan half-smiled, "You were just sleeping!" She accused playfully.

"I know," Ed answered, a crooked smile on his face. He motioned for her to go sit by him on the bed. Morgan sat at the end, crossing her legs under her. "You're worried aren't you?"

"No, what gave it away?" She asked sarcastically.

"You should sleep. You don't want to be tired tomorrow." He continued seriously.

"Like, I know. That thought just never occurred to me." Morgan continued sarcastically. "I thought it was good to be tired..."

"Really, though." Ed said.

Morgan sighed, "I know but I keep waking up." She paused. "Well, since you're up, we might as well have that little talk I promised we'd have." Morgan said, referring to the talk about Marcoh.

Ed groaned, "Do we have to?" He asked.

"Yes."

Ed sighed, quickly explaining what they'd found out in Xenotyme about Marcoh.

"Why didn't you tell me that we had a lead?"

Running a hand through his blond hair, which was down for once, he sighed again. "I don't know. At the time I was considering just leaving you here." He admitted.

Morgan, who was just noticing how nice his hair looked when it was down, glared at him. "I thought we already had that conversation." She said coldly.

"We did; I'm definitely not considering it anymore." Ed said quickly. He watched her as she sighed. Her hair was flat and fell in front of her face. She pushed it back carelessly. "And since then I just haven't had a chance to tell you. I swear I was going to though."

Morgan nodded. "I guess I'm guilty here too." She admitted, shivering. Ed offered her the blanket and she gladly got under it, now sitting beside him. Seeing his curious stare, she continued. "It doesn't strictly have to do with the Philosopher's Stone but I should have told you anyway. When we were in Xenotyme and I was staying with Russell and Fletcher, I found this book. It was just called _Alchemy_, which in itself is weird but the author's name was Elizabeth Krimskii."

Ed looked at her sharply, "Really?" Morgan nodded. "It could just be a coincidence..."

"How many Elizabeth Krimskiis do you know?" Morgan asked sarcastically.

Ed paused, "Have you told Kaytie?"

Morgan nodded, "She already knew. Apparently when she was researching for the assignment she was given, she came across another book with the same author."

Ed sighed. "No more secrets?" He asked, smiling slightly.

Morgan grinned, "No more secrets." She agreed.

Morgan moved to go back to the couch and back to sleep but Ed grabbed her arm. "Do you think you'd sleep better if you were sleeping in a bed?" he asked.

Morgan blushed furiously, "I'm not sleeping in the same bed with you!!" She said loudly.

Ed blushed too, "N-no," He stuttered. "That's not what I meant. Did you want to switch? I could sleep on the couch, if you want." He offered.

Morgan flushed harder, "That's alright." She said standing and making her way over to the couch. "I don't wanna take your bed."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded, wrapping the blankets around her as she lay down. "'Night,"

"'Night," Ed repeated. "Don't let the bed bugs bite."

Morgan laughed.

* * *

When Kaytie woke the next morning, she was very sore ... and squished? She was on the floor, trapped between the side of the desk and something else that was pressed against her back.

She rolled her eyes and groaned as she remembered her argument with Envy last night.

_"I don't want to sleep on the bed." Kaytie said through her teeth. She'd repeated herself at least ten times._

_"Why?!" He asked again, exasperated at her stupidity. "You do realize that I'm not going to take the bed, right?"_

_Kaytie's eyes narrowed, "Yes you are!" She said forcefully. "Because I said so; now get under the covers and_ sleep

"NO!"_ Envy said loudly. Kaytie chucked another pillow at him. She'd been doing that all night. "What is wrong with you, woman?! Would you quit doing that?"_

_"NO!" She said, throwing it as hard as she could so it smacked him in the face with a soft thud._

_Envy smirked, "I'll just sleep on the floor then." He said stubbornly as he stood from where he was sitting on the chair and sat on the floor._

_Kaytie glared, "Why can't you just take the bed?" She whined._

_"Because," He answered._

_Glaring, Kaytie slid from the bed and made her way to the far side of the room, as far away from Envy as possible and lay down next to the desk. The floor was hard, uncomfortable, and cold but it was better then giving into Envy's demands._

_"You're such a weirdo." Envy said, shaking his head._

Kaytie groaned again; Envy must have slept on the floor as well. Propping herself on her elbow, she rolled onto her opposite side ... and jumped back, knocking painfully into the desk. Envy had his eyes open, his face about an inch or two from hers. "What is _wrong_ with you?!" She asked as she got up, her face scarlet. Her back hurt from lying on the floor.

Still glaring at Envy, who was now laughing, she dug through her bag and pulled out her military uniform. _Haven't worn this for a while..._ she reflected. Throwing another dirty look at Envy, who smirked back, she made her way to the washroom and locked the door.

Kaytie leaned against the door and breathed in deeply to calm herself. Glancing in the mirror, she noticed her face was still red from waking up so close to Envy but that was the least of her worries. She had to fight Morgan today.

* * *

"Nervous?" Morgan asked Ed as she sipped her coffee. She was surprisingly calm given the circumstances.

"Of course not," Ed said cockily. "I can beat Mustang with my hands tied behind my back." He boasted.

"I'm sure," Morgan said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"What, you don't think I can beat him?" Ed asked, glaring at her.

Morgan sighed, "I was just teasing." She clarified, standing from her spot. "We should get going." She said. Her voice was steady and she looked completely rational but Ed and Al knew better. Upon closer inspection, Morgan was pale and her hands were shaking slightly.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" Ed asked, peering suspiciously at her.

She leaned back slightly, "Yeah, I fell asleep right after out conversation."

Al sighed, "It's almost time, Brother. We should get going."

Morgan nodded, agreeing with him. Her stomach was churning. There was no way she was going to win this. "Where is it again?" She asked, her voice slightly weak.

"The Parade Grounds," Ed answered. "Hughes suggested it."

"What's your plan?" Al asked Ed once they got to the parade grounds.

"I just told you a couple minutes ago," He answered. "A fist in the face."

The 'Eastern Command Centre Festival' (AKA the assessment) was hosted by Hughes. Morgan certainly didn't know what everyone expected but it probably wasn't what Hughes had in store.

Being his usual self, Hughes was very flamboyant. "Hello and welcome to the Eastern Command Centre Festival!" He exclaimed loudly into the microphone. "Before we get started with the combat you've all been waiting for... "

He trailed off and Morgan sweatdropped from where she was standing with Ed and Al. "This isn't going to be pretty," She whispered to them as she watched Hughes fumble with a cord on the stage.

"I know what you mean..." Ed said and Al agreed.

Hughes pulled the cord and a ton of pink and white confetti gushed out as a picture unrolled itself for everyone to see. It was of course of his beloved daughter Elysia. "Isn't she adorable?" Hughes asked. "She's just precious."

Morgan sighed, "Saw that coming," She commented mildly, leaning against the rail near the place Ed was to exit from when his name was called. The photograph wasn't well-received by the crowd. They'd just begun pelting things at Hughes before he manages to get things under control again.

Hughes cleared his throat, "Clearly none of you know cuteness when you see it." The crowd booed again and Ed began tapping his fingers impatiently. "Fine, fine." Hughes conceded. "In one corner we have Colonel Roy Mustang of the Eastern command office, also known as the Flame Alchemist."

From the other side of the enclosed area, the trio watched as Mustang sauntered into the opening. He wasn't well received, either. "You stole my girlfriend!" Someone accused from the crowd. "Yeah! He's the one who was dating _my_ girlfriend behind my back!" Someone else yelled loudly. "He's way too power-hungry! I hope he loses!"

Roy's eye was twitching and Ed burst out laughing. "It's not funny," Morgan lectured but she couldn't keep the smile off her face, despite being anxious for her own assessment. She couldn't help but wonder, if she lost, would Furher Bradley deem her inadequate for her position as State Alchemist?

"And in the other corner," Hughes continued, "We have the one and only Fullmetal Alchemist himself! Edward Elric!" Ed stepped out, still relatively close to the railing.

Morgan and Al started cheering but they were drowned out by the louder crowd. "Wow, he's so small." Someone remarked. "He'll never win against that guy, he's like twice his size!" A female nearby Morgan said. Morgan couldn't help but laugh. "He's so _small_!"

**"Who are you calling so short that you need a microscope to see him?!"** Ed exclaimed loudly.

"Calm down Brother!" Al said, restraining Ed over the barrier that separated them.

This cause Morgan to laugh harder, tears coming to here eyes. "I've never seen a fight where both contenders are equally disliked." She said to Al.

"Me either," He said.

They watched Ed make his way to the middle to meet Roy. "Ready Pipsqueak?" He asked, smirking as Ed twitched in annoyance.

"You are so going down!" Ed said loudly. He had to win; not only would Mustang keep the kitten Al had found when they first arrived in Eastern, but he'd have to tell Ed everything he knew about a Doctor Tim Marcoh. He was planning on going for the quick and easy way out of this.

"Ready," Hughes said loudly. "Set, GO!"

Almost instantly a blaze of fire erupted in front of Ed's face. He quickly jumped back. With another snap of Roy's fingers, the ignition cloth of his gloves made a spark causing the altered air around him to ignite.

"Well," Morgan said, thinking that Ed could have probably been a bit more prepared for that. "That was ... interesting."

"It always is with Ed," Al agreed.

Morgan watched, mildly amused as Ed was reduced to running for his life just to be spared of burning to a crisp. Mustang wasn't letting up, sending combustion reactions racing after Ed nonchalantly, as if it were the easiest thing in the world. "A soldier favours haste over cleverness. Means there are no cheap shots, Edward. Strike quickly and you'll end it quickly, too." He said.

All of a sudden, Ed jumped the fence separating him from the audience, narrowly avoiding another burst of flame.

"That's just sad." Morgan said, her eyebrows knitting together. "He has to resort to hiding in the crowd."

Al shrugged, "If it gives him an upper hand..."

It surprised her when Mustang smirked. "Oh, I guess I can't torch you all..." He said loudly. "Too bad he's such a _small_ target..." He trailed off.

Morgan and Al exchanged a knowing look and Morgan rolled her eyes.

**"Who are you calling small?!"**

"That's _so_ like Ed," Morgan said, sighing. "He's never going to win if he keeps it up like this..."

"Don't say that!" Al scolded. "He might pull through..."

Out in the stadium, Mustang smirked. "If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate, and never fall for an enemy's taunts." Morgan heard him say. A split second after that, audience members went flying and much of the parade grounds were reduced to rubble.

"If they destroy the whole thing, what are Kaytie and I supposed to fight on?" Morgan asked aloud. It was then she reminded herself that the match was almost over and the soon the match between Ed and Mustang ended, the sooner her complete and utter embarrassment was made public before a hundred people. She felt as if her impending doom hung over her shoulder. She felt sick.

Trying to distract herself, she turned back to Ed's matched. Mustang had spotted Ed lurking in a shadow of dust and debris and quickly moved in on him. Finding only a stone Ed look-alike with a red coat, he made to turn around but before he could do so, Ed ambushed him, ripping on of his prized ignition gloves.

Ed flaunted his skills as he clapped his hands together and slapped them to the ground, transmuting a large cannon. But Mustang it seemed prepared for this; he gave a very self-satisfied smirk and pulled his left hand out of his pocket, revealing another white glove. He demolished Ed's cannon in a single snap, sending the smaller alchemist flying yet again.

In a flash Mustang had Ed cornered, poised to snap. However, he hesitates only a moment and Ed quickly pints his blade a Mustang's throat. There was a tense moment of silence before it was announced that the battle ended in a stalemate.

Morgan swallowed the lump in her throat as Hughes announced there would be a short intermission before another battle took place.

"Are you okay, Morgan?" Al asked, looking down at her. "You look a little green..."

"I'm fine." She said. "Go help your brother."

Just at that moment, Ed made his way over to them. "Are you okay?" Al said again, this time to Ed.

He nodded, "Fine. Just a little out of breath. How are you doing?" He asked Morgan.

"I feel like I'm gonna be sick." She answered. Then she laughed bitterly, "My and Kaytie's fight is going to be slightly anti-climactic next to yours, don't you think?"

Ed glared at her, "You're definitely going to lose if you keep up that attitude," He scolded.

Morgan nodded, knowing he was right. "Sorry." She said, sighing. "I need a drink." She turned and pushed her way through the crowd, aiming for the refreshment stand. Ed quickly followed.

She pushed her way to the stand and quietly ordered a bottle of water. The man manning the counter handed it to her and Morgan dug for some spare change in her pocket. "I'll pay." She heard a voice say beside her. She glanced up to see Ed handing the money over to the man.

"You didn't have to do that." She said, blushing despite her anxiety.

"I know," He responded simply. Morgan took a sip of her water, hoping to settle her stomach. "You have nothing to worry about." Ed told her. She raised her eyebrows sceptically. "I serious," he assured her. "This is Kaytie, and while she may be the biggest bitch I've ever met, she's your best friend and that has to count for something." He said, smiling at her slightly. "You can do this. No matter win or lose, the Furher can't reasonably take away your licence as long as you put up a good fight. You know those sparring techniques like the back of your hand, and you're not too bad at them either." He added.

"He can take away my licence?" Morgan asked in a weak voice.

Ed winced, regretting have said that. He tried to appease her, "Not if you put up a good fight. So, you are going to go out there and kick Kaytie's ass, right?"

Sighing to calm herself, Morgan nodded, "I can do this." He said.

Ed grinned widely, pulling her into a hug. Morgan flushed a violent shade of red, burying her face into his shoulder. When they pulled apart, Ed examined her closely, "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked. "You're face is a bit red. Maybe you have a fever..."

"I'm fine," Morgan squeaked as they made their way back to where Al was standing.

Just as they got there, Hughes too up the microphone again, glancing at Morgan and giving her an encouraging smile.

"Welcome to the second part of the Eastern Command Centre Festival. For those of you just joining us, the first fight was quite exciting with neither the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric nor the Flame Alchemist Colonel Roy Mustang winning. It surprisingly ended in a draw.

"We are currently just beginning our second assessment of the day. Please welcome the infamous Biohazardous Alchemist, Kathryn Krimskii!" The crowd watched as she stepped out into the clearing, cheering. Her long red hair was up in a tight bun and Morgan copied, taking the elastic off her wrist and tying her hair up.

"Oh, yeah," Ed muttered unhappily. "They cheer for her..."

"And in the other corner," Morgan's knees were shaking. "The Aquatic Alchemist," She felt light-headed. "Daughter of the well-known Tracy and Dave Shaw," She was having trouble breathing. "Morgan Shaw!"

Weak-kneed and shivering, Morgan didn't look nearly as impressive as she stepped out beside Kaytie. For the second time that day she heard Hughes say, "Ready, set, GO!" The whistle blew. If the crowd was clapping, she couldn't hear it; it was like she suddenly went deaf.

"Ready, Morgan?" Kaytie asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

"No, but we don't have a choice do we?" Morgan answered, her voice tight.

Kaytie sighed; she really didn't want to do this.

"...Why are they just standing there?" She heard someone from the audience ask. "Yeah," Someone else agreed. "This is pretty boring."

Kaytie stepped forward, Morgan stepped back. Kaytie stepped to her left and Morgan stepped one to her right. It was like a dance and they were circling each other. _How can I lose,_ Kaytie asked herself. _without making it seem like I'm doing it on purpose?_ She had Pride's protection, she had nothing to lose. Morgan had a lot to lose.


	24. Chapter 24

Authors' Notes:

Chibi-chan: OMG! It's an update at a reasonable time! It hasn't even been a month yet. This is wonderful!. ... Actually, I just finished this chapter yesterday and I did work on it so hard because I might not get a chance to update in May. May is my busiest month of the year when it concerns everything. I have French Play preformaces, ESAID conferences, Choir concerts, Anime North, and Prom. And then there's the school work I'm going to miss because of these things. Aside fom school however, this story is my top priority and I will try my best to update as soon as possible. There are someinteresting chapters coming up -

Jin's Lady: Putting those things aside for the moment, _Life, Love, Lost_ just celebrated its second birthday at the beginning of April. I cannot believe that Chibi-chan and I have been writing this story for over two years now. It definitely doesn't seem that long, lol. So, as a birthday present for _Life, Love, Lost_ please review! -Grins-

Chibi-chan: Ed, do the disclaimer so out very patient readers can get on with their reading!

Ed: -Grumbles- I'm always the one that's picked on... -Clears Throat- Krimskii, that is to say Jin's Lady and Chibi-chan, do not own anything to do with Fullmetal Alchemist and are not making profit from this story. They do, however own this story and Morgan and Kaytie.

Jin's Lady: Read, Review, and Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 24: Biohazardour versus Aquatic

Morgan was having a hard time concentrating. Her palms were slick with sweat and if she were to make the first move, she probably wouldn't even be able to stay standing, she was so nervous. Lucky for her, Kaytie lunged forward.

Moving purely on instinct, Morgan backed up, dodging her best friend by about a foot. Kaytie overbalanced and tripped, only catching herself at the last minute.

_If I just keep dodging her..._ Morgan thought, _I might be able to tire her out._

Kaytie tried again and it was a closer call, but Morgan quickly jumped to the side, watching as Kaytie skidded to a stop, overbalanced, and face-planted into the ground. Morgan continued backing up, keeping her eyes on Kaytie but her heel caught on a stray rock from Ed and Roy's fight and she fell back landing hard on the ground.

Kaytie was up by this time and dusted off her pants, looking thoroughly annoyed as she found a small tear in them. Morgan took this time to scramble to her feet.

Kaytie was advancing toward her again and Morgan backed up, stepping slightly to the left. Kaytie mimicked her. They seemed to be caught in the dance again and it made Morgan rather annoyed. The look on Kaytie's face told her that they were done playing.

Morgan swallowed but didn't move. _Please let me live,_ She thought, over dramatizing the situation.

They stood like that for a moment, Morgan looking up at Kaytie and Kaytie looking down at Morgan, before, without warning, Kaytie brought her foot up in a neat roundhouse kick. Acting on instinct, Morgan ducked close to the ground, rolling out of the way as Kaytie brought her foot down, attempting to smack it down on Morgan's head. Kaytie moved forward again, bringing her foot up in careful motion but Morgan back flipped out of the way.

_When did she become such an acrobatic?_ Kaytie asked herself.

Morgan was breathing hard now, her hands on her knees. The crowd was making noise but it just sounded like a dull buzzing in her ears, nothing like when she was part of the crowd.

All of a sudden, Kaytie slapped her hands together and pressed them to the ground. Jagged rocks shot out of the ground and toward Morgan. Her eyes widened and she clapped, thanking God she was wearing her gloves, and pressed her hands to the ground in an attempt to mimic Ed.

A rough wall of rock glided unstably out of the ground and the spikes crashed into them with an ear-splitting explosion, the wall shattering to pieces. Rock rained down on the audience and Morgan and Kaytie.

In the dust, Morgan couldn't see Kaytie. She backed into the fence that separated the crowd from her. Someone grabbed her shoulder from behind. Thinking it was Kaytie, Morgan spun around, alarmed. Instead, she found the concerned face of Ed. "What?" she asked, breathless with relief.

"Play to your strengths." He said hurriedly.

"What?" She asked.

"Play to your strengths." He repeated. "And always _keep your eyes on your target!_"

Hearing this, Morgan spun to find Kaytie right in front of her. She was literally backed up against a wall. "Don't hurt me..." She whimpered.

As Kaytie swung at her, Morgan did nothing to stop it and Kaytie's fist connected with her face. A coppery taste made its way into her mouth and Morgan realized that her lip was bleeding. Just as Kaytie was about to strike her again, Morgan ducked, extending her foot and catching Kaytie around the legs. Kaytie fell back with a small squeak of surprise.

As Kaytie fell to the ground, Morgan took the opportunity to move away from the fence separating her and the crowd. She watched Kaytie scramble to her feet and bit her lip, tasting blood. She was really in for it now.

Without warning, Kaytie clapped and pressed her hands to the ground. Morgan's eyes widened as spikes shot out of the ruined ground for the second time that day. She managed to move out of the way with the rocks only catching on her shirt but they didn't stop; the spikes ran right through the audience, thankfully injuring none, and upturned a fire hydrant.

A torrent of water burst out and rained down on the crowd. The sun's rays caught on the falling water, making a slight rainbow, and Morgan smirked. She was still panting and could barely stand, she was so tired but she took a deep breath. If this plan didn't work, Kaytie was going to kill her.

_"Hey, Krimskii!"_ She yelled out.

Kaytie stood and looked toward Morgan with curiosity.

"Is that the best you've got?" Morgan asked.

Kaytie's eyes narrowed and she moved toward Morgan. For the third time, it seemed like they were dancing, circling each other. The crowd was buzzing but Kaytie couldn't make out when they were saying; it seemed like her ears were stopped up.

She threw a punch at Morgan but she blocked. She tried another roundhouse kick but Morgan ducked just in time, jumping back and putting a fair distance between them.

She took a run at it.

... And slipped?

Kaytie landed hard on the ground, her chin smacking off of a hard patch of ice. When she was getting to her feet, Morgan must have transmuted a puddle made from the excess amount of water into ice. It was good; if Morgan had acted faster when Kaytie was down, she may very well have won. But she didn't.

Without moving, Kaytie pressed her hands together and pushed them to the ground. A slab of rock slammed hard into Morgan from her right. Another from the left and one from the back. She fell to her knees.

The defeat was obvious.

* * *

An hour later, Kaytie had abandoned the cleaning and trudged up the stairs. She was covered head to toe in muddy water and her clothes were ripped. But she won... so she should be happy, right?

Wrong!

She glared at anyone who passed and quickened her pace. If he took Morgan's licence away ... she couldn't bear the thought. It wasn't that she'd feel guilty ... it was just... Kaytie sighed, wondering why all of a sudden her vision went blurry. She moved her hand to wipe at her eyes and found that her cheeks were wet. She was crying.

Kaytie gasped; she was crying! She hadn't cried in years, since she left Risembool.

She didn't feel sad and she didn't feel guilty but she regretted that she won. She regretted that Morgan lost. But she didn't feel guilty.

Musing on this fact and viciously wiping the tears from her face, she walked right up to the Furher's office door and knocked clearly three times. Then, without waiting for an answer, she entered.

Pride, as always, looked as if her were expecting her. She found that very little ever surprised him. "You wanted to see me, Kaytie." He stated, looking straight at her, almost daring her to start yelling.

Kaytie took a deep shuddering breath and tried to calm herself. If she wanted Morgan to be able to keep her license, she needed to be rational. "Yes." She answered shortly. "I need you to not revoke Morgan's State License."

Pride smirked and Kaytie almost scowled. She caught herself at the last moment and forced her face into an indifferent expression. "And why should I do that?" He asked a taunting tone to his voice.

"Because I am a valuable asset to your military and your _cause_." She said. "Clearly, it wouldn't be nice to upset me, now would it?"

Pride's lips curled into a small smile. "Well played." He allowed and Kaytie breathed a sigh of relief. "Is that why you tried so hard to lose?"

Kaytie's mouth dropped open, _"Lose?"_ She repeated, sounding indigenous. "I certainly did no such thing."

Pride leaned forward, setting his elbows on his desk and lacing his fingers together. "Explain to me then why you kept falling. Stumbled over your feet, perhaps?"

Kaytie flushed slightly and Pride didn't miss it. "Fine," She relented. "I was afraid that if she lost so badly, you'd take her licence."

Pride raised his eyebrows. "Surely you know me better than that, Kaytie."

Kaytie flushed for a second time in two minutes. "How is that, sir?" She asked saucily.

Pride smirked and paused. For a moment the air hung motionless and Kaytie almost turned to leave, thinking he wasn't going to say anything more. However, he startled her when he spoke, "She can keep her licence."

Kaytie allowed herself to grin in relief. "Thank-you." She said.

Pride smirked, "Did she actually surprise you with that ice?" He asked, looking as if he already knew the answer.

Kaytie sighed, shaking her head. "I blew up the fire hydrant purposefully." She admitted. "Elric told her to play with her strengths and it gave me an idea." She tucked the loose strands of red hair that had escaped her bun behind her ear. "I knew it would be too big of a stretch to let her win the fight, but that didn't mean she could at least get one good hit in."

Pride nodded and Kaytie turned to leave, understanding that she was being dismissed. Her hand was on the doorknob when the door flew open, violently pushing her, causing her to stumble back, falling unceremoniously into the nearest chair.

"_There_ you are," Envy sighed, looking half annoyed and half furious. "I've been looking for you every--" At this point he seemed to catch sight of Pride behind his desk, watching him rant in amusement. "Eh... sorry, Pride." He continued suddenly becoming formal. "Are you finished with Krimskii?"

Pride nodded, "You can take her." He said, waving a hand.

Envy grabbed Kaytie's hand and pulled her to her feet. She didn't even get to glance back at the Furher before Envy yanked her out of the room and the door slammed shut.

"What the Hell," Kaytie asked loudly, "Do you think you're doing?!"

He moved quickly down the hall and she struggled to keep up with him. "They were getting suspicious."

"Who, Ed and Roy?"

"And Morgan," He said. "They were confused as to why I was there and you weren't."

Kaytie scoffed, "Why?"

Envy sighed as he answered and rolled his eyes. He was back to his Sano appearance and Kaytie realized how much this bugged her as he ran a hand through his now not-so-spiky hair. "Apparently, I stick to you like glue and it was weird that I was there and you'd stormed off."

Kaytie paused for a moment and then laughed, "You're joking right?" She managed to choke out.

Envy's eyebrow twitched, "Sadly, no I'm not."

Kaytie was laughing so hard she had to stop to catch her breath. Rolling his eyes, Envy continued walking forward when Kaytie felt a strong tug from her left side. She stumbled forward, bracing herself against Envy to keep from falling. "...eh?"

She blushed hard as both of their gazes trailed down, stopping and lingering on their entwined hands. _Oh God,_ Kaytie thought. _He never let go of my hand and I didn't even notice!_ Kaytie flushed deeper as Envy sighed, untangling his hand from hers. He continued forward. Kaytie stood there for a moment, slightly dazed.

Envy stopped and looked back at her. "Are you coming or are you going to stand there for the rest of your life like a blushing idiot?" Kaytie hurried forward, cursing herself as she went.

* * *

_Mustang told Ed about Marcoh,_ Morgan thought feeling slightly relieved. _We're finally leaving again._

Although she couldn't wait to get back to Eastern when she was gone, once she was there it was like she had to leave again. Everything was the same, yet completely different at the same time.

"You okay?" Ed asked. She was seated on a large chunk of rock that Kaytie had used to bash her back in, she was covered in mud and cold water, and she was most likely going to lose her State Licence. She was not okay. "I'm fine." She answered tiredly.

"You don't sound fine," He said, taking a seat beside her. Ed wasn't in much better condition, only lacking the cold water and he wasn't going to lose his licence.

She couldn't stop it; her eyes welled up with tears. "I c-can't not be a State Al-alchemist, Ed." She said, feeling exhausted and wiping the tears away before they had a chance to roll down her cheeks.

"What does it matter if you're not?" Ed asked, slightly uncomfortable. He was never good with crying girls. "I -- we, Al and I, would still bring you with us..."

Morgan sniffed loudly and buried her face in her hands, "You wouldn't understand..." Her voice was muffled.

"Probably not," He agreed, pulling her closer toward him and slipping a comforting arm around her shoulder. "I'm sure you won't lose your licence."

Morgan leaned into him. "I hope so,"

"Oh, for God's sake, stop being so melodramatic!"

Morgan jumped, the top of her head knocking painfully into Ed's chin. "Sorry!" She said, quickly moving further away from him.

The voice of the sarcasm, Kaytie, sighed. "You can keep your licence." She said, a small smile on her face.

"Really?" Morgan asked. The amount of relief that she felt was absolutely unprecedented. "How did you get him to do it?" She asked.

"I didn't," Kaytie answered, smirking as if she knew something that the others didn't. "You did. Apparently he was impressed with the way that you turned the water to ice."

"But you still won," Morgan said, confused. "How come...?"

Kaytie sighed, "Sometimes it's best not to question how other people view your work. You're your own worst critic you know."

Morgan smiled, rubbing at her eyes and trying to erase any traces of tears, "Thank-you for talking to him," Morgan said. "For convincing him..."

"I told you," Kaytie said grinning, watching as Ed rolled his eyes and got up to leave. "I did no such thing."

* * *

"Tired?" Envy asked as Kaytie collapsed on their bed.

"Exceptionally," She answered, yawning. "I _am_ taking the bed tonight."

Envy rolled his eyes and smirked. "I have some important news." He said, smirking.

Kaytie glared at him, "You would to that as I'm about to fall asleep..."

"You know that optional ball the military throws for employees every year?" He asked. Kaytie could tell it was building up to something.

"I never go to those things." She answered. "It's a waste of time."

"It isn't optional any more."

Kaytie paused for a minute before sitting up, "What?"

"I just said it isn't optional -- you know; they made it compulsory, mandatory. Jeeze, you've got to work on your vocabulary."

Kaytie groaned, "Great one more thing for me to worry about... When is it?"

"A week," Envy answered smirking. "I can't wait to see you in a dress."

"Yay," Kaytie muttered dryly burying her face into a pillow.

* * *

Morgan yawned loudly as she came out of the bathroom dressed in a blue sweatshirt and sweatpants. "I'm _so_ tired." She said, sinking into the couch and curling up in ball. She pulled the blanket over her. "Are we leaving tomorrow?" She asked Ed and Al.

"No," Ed said bitterly.

"While you were in the shower Mustang called." Al explained. "You know the Military Ball that they throw every year?"

Morgan nodded, "My parents always went to those. I don't think I'll go though, obviously. I'll be with you guys."

"And we'll be at the ball." Ed explained. "It is now mandatory due to lack of participation."

Morgan sighed, squeezing her eyes shut. "Why? Why? Why didn't they just cancel it then?" She asked.

Ed shrugged, "Who knows what goes on in their minds..."

"Good point," Morgan echoed. "So, is it in Central then?"

Al shook his head and even though Morgan wasn't looking at him she heard his armour clink. "You heard Hughes yesterday; everyone's leaving Central ... Not that he was supposed to say that of course. It's here in Eastern."

"I don't think they're organized enough at the moment to plan and coordinate a big event like that." Ed agreed.

"Fine," Morgan said reluctantly. "I guess we have to go then. That sucks. When is it again?"

"A week," Al answered. Morgan heard him sink into his mattress as he sat on his bed.

"Joy," Morgan said sarcastically. She sighed, "This is formal too, which means a dress." She wrinkled her nose. "I'm not overly fond of dresses."

Ed stared at her, "Why? You used to wear them all the time when you were little."

"Did I?" Morgan asked. "You forget about my memory..."

"Oh yeah..."

"I remember once..." Al started, "You fell into the river in one of your favourite dresses and ruined it. You cried about that for days." He laughed.

Morgan cracked a smile, "I remember that now..." she said, laughing slightly."Anything else you remember?"

"I remember that one time when Kaytie wanted to fight you, do you remember Al?" Ed asked, grinning.

"Which time?" Al asked jokingly.

Ed laughed, "Anyway, you replied with something like, 'Can't you see I'm wearing a dress?!' You sounded so angry. It was funny even back then."

"I remember!" Morgan exclaimed excitedly. "Tell me more..." She sat up, drawing the blanket around her shoulders like a cape. "I want you to tell me everything you can remember!"


	25. Chapter 25

Authors' Note:

Chibi-chan: Wow. We're back. I didn't expect to update so soon but yeah, here we are. This is really kind of a filler chapter but it promises a lot of interesting things to come. However, with that happy note, I'm sad to announce that there probably won't be another update until after my exams. But that isn't too long they're in a week and a half so yeah.

Jin's Lady: What ever, Just get on with the disclaimer.

Chibi-chan: Fine. We do not own anything affiliated with Fullmetal Alchemist but we do own this story, along with Morgan, Kaytie, and Sam. Please enjoy reading :)

* * *

Chapter 25: Ball Preperations and Dates

Kaytie woke the next morning to silence. She was lying on the bed, buried in blankets. She rolled over onto her back, pushing the covers off of her. She swung her feet off the bed and looked around the room. Nothing was out of place but something was missing. Where was Envy?

Pursing her lips and thinking that she'd really like to kill him, she slid out of bed and pulled her bag toward her. Why did he always do this? He could at least give her warning before up and disappearing. "First he leaves me at the train station, and now here..." she mumbled to herself, stripping from her pyjamas and quickly changing into her uniform.

She brushed her long red hair out and gathered it all in a ponytail, padding across the cold floor toward the bathroom and dragging her bag with her. She brushed her teeth stoically, thinking of what needed to be done that day.

She needed to talk to Morgan. And Roy; she needed to talk to Roy. She grimaced; thinking of Roy made her think of the Military Ball that Envy had mentioned last night. Not only was she now dateless, but she had to deal with the frivolities of the office again, until Envy came back to get her. And who knew how long that might be ... The office seemed rather boring in comparison to what she'd been through in the last two months.

Deciding she'd eat out, Kaytie grabbed her bag and headed out the door, locking it behind her.

* * *

Morgan woke up feeling very sore, like she was one big bruise from head to toe. She groaned, sitting up on the couch, wincing as she leaned her bruised back against the backrest.

"You okay?" Ed asked. It was then Morgan noticed that she was the last one up. Blushing slightly, she nodded. "You sure? I thought you were never gonna get up," Ed laughed, coming over and sitting beside her.

"Just a little sore," Morgan admitted. "Three rocks being smashed against your skin doesn't exactly tickle." She drew the blanket closer around her and rested her head against the cushion, allowing her eyes to close.

"Are you up to visiting Mustang? I have a few things I need to talk to him about." Ed asked, watching her in concern. Her face was pale and her dull brown hair stuck up like a haystack, dishevelled and oily. She looked like she could use a day in bed.

"No, I'm fine." She answered, gingerly getting to her feet. "Just let me grab a shower and get changed."

Ed nodded, turning away to talk to Al.

Morgan stepped into the tiny bathroom and gently peeled her clothes off. Her back was covered with three bruises that seemed to blend in together. They spread from her shoulder-blades to the small of her back and were a deep shade of blue-purple. She sighed, silently cursing the rocks that had slammed into her.

Tentatively stepping into the shower, she turned the water on, wincing as it cascaded onto her back. She scrubbed herself clean as quickly as she could and washed her hair. Dressing in her usual blue cargo pants and a short sleeved blue dress shirt, she ran a comb through her thin brown hair. _I need a hair cut..._ she thought. It reached almost two inches past her shoulders and was as dull as ever.

Morgan sighed as she exited the bathroom, hanging her towel on the rack. "So what's the plan for today?" She asked.

"Visiting Mustang mainly... Oh, and Kaytie called. She wants to talk to you." Ed said, getting to his feet. "Now that he's told us about Marcoh, we only have to wait until the stupid Military Ball is over." He rolled his eyes.

"It won't be that bad, brother." Al chastised.

"You're right." Ed agreed. "It'll be worse, which is why I'm gonna see if we can get out of it."

It was Morgan's turn to roll her eyes, sliding the hair tie from her wrist and bringing her hands to her hair. She winced, whimpering slightly; her shoulders ached in pain and she couldn't bring her hands past her ears.

"Come here," Ed said, gently pulling her toward him and spinning her so he was facing her back. He pulled her hair back and wrapped the elastic around it. Morgan blushed when he was finished, liking the feeling of his hands brushing the back of her neck. "Thanks..." She muttered and stared at the carpet.

Ed smiled and tossed her a jacket. "Let's get out of here then." He smiled.

* * *

Roy sighed as the phone rang for the fourth time in an hour. The other three had been Kaytie. "Krimskii," He answered, sounding annoyed. "This had better be good; I thought I told you not to bother me again."

There was a pause on the other end, "Roy, _what _did you just call me?" A half-amused half-annoyed voice asked.

"Sam!" He laughed nervously. "Sorry, I thought you were Kaytie. She's been calling every ten minutes wanting to know if Morgan was here yet." He explained, straightening the stray papers on his desk and running a hand through his black hair. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Sam cleared her throat, "So, I'm in Xenotyme..." She said and Roy sweatdropped. "Guess where Morgan's not?"

"Um, there?" Roy answered. "I told you it would have been more efficient to wait but you just had to rush off. She already took the assessment, by the way."

Sam sighed, "I know. I thought I'd get here before she left. Clearly I underestimated the time... How did she do?" There was a note of anxiety in her voice.

"She's still a State Alchemist, if that's what you're asking," The Flame Alchemist replied. "It was a battle assessment between her and Kaytie Krimskii," He paused, hearing Sam scowl on the other end. "And she lost by a landslide. I think she's pretty banged up but not bad enough to need the hospital or anything. Ed and Al are taking care of her."

"I'm not sure I like the sound of that..." She admitted. "How long is she there for?"

"The Military Ball is mandatory this year, so probably a week and a day. Ed will want to leave for his next lead as soon as possible." Roy explained.

"Okay," Sam answered. "I wanna ask around about Edward Elric first so I think I'll try to make it there the Military Ball. Need a date?" She asked sounding playful. Roy could hear the smirk in her voice.

"Maybe," Roy smirked back.

All of a sudden, there was a sharp knock on the door to his office. "I should go," He said. They hung up as Riza Hawkeye went to answer the door.

Roy was presented with Morgan, Ed, and Al. "Speak of the devil," He muttered as they made their way forward. "And what can I do for you three today? Shouldn't you be off shopping for that pesky little ball?" He asked, an amused ring to his voice. "By the way Morgan," He smiled sardonically, "Sam says hi."

Morgan's eyes widened, "Please tell me she's not here!"

Roy laughed, "I just got off the phone with her, she's in Xenotyme, looking for you."

Morgan swallowed, "Because I need to deal with that..." She muttered, glaring at nothing in particular.

"Anyway," Ed said, moving past Morgan, who had sunk down into the nearest chair, wincing as her back pressed against the backrest. "We need you to get us out of that ball," He said, getting straight to the point. There was no use beating around the bush.

"I thought you might ask that," Roy answered slyly. "No can do though. If I have to go, you have to go. It's new Military policy. Sorry."

"How are we supposed to find Marcoh if you're just going to keep us here for a stupid ball?!" Ed asked loudly.

"Brother, don't yell," Al lectured, shaking his head. Morgan heard the clink of his armour as he sat in the chair next to hers.

Roy rolled his eyes, "You have to be there Edward. I'll be checking personally. Of course, there may be one flaw with that plan; you might be too short to find in the crowd. What will I ever do?" He griped sarcastically.

**"Who are you calling so short that even an ant wouldn't be able too see him?!"**

"He's running out of good short rants, isn't he?" Morgan whispered to Al.

Al stifled a laughed, "Probably," He answered. "With the amount he rants, it must be difficult to come up with new ones."

"I heard that," Ed said, clenching his teeth together. He sighed, "So there's no possible way out of this?"

"Nope," Roy answered, smiling vaguely. "I'd get shopping if I were you. You have no idea how long girls take in the store."

"I resent that," Morgan said, standing and following Ed and Al to the door, glum at the prospect of spending the day shopping.

When Kaytie was finished her breakfast, she as still fuming at Envy; it was embarrassing to be seen eating out alone! She needed Morgan. And she planned to kidnap her from the Elrics, if only for a few hours. After spending so much time in the company of others, she was finding it hard to function when she was by herself.

She pushed her way past the guards at the front doors, and they didn't argue; they knew her by sight. She made her way up the stairs quickly and was planning on making a dramatic entrance into Mustang's office when the door opened, smacking her in the forehead.

She stumbled back, dazed.

"You know," She heard Morgan's voice say. "That happens far too often around here. I bet there's a statistic of how many people are hit with Mustang's door a year..." She trialed off, steadying the red-head.

"I'm fine," Kaytie responded, grimacing and then glaring at Ed, who happened to still have his hand on the door knob. "And you're just the person I was looking for." She smiled at Morgan.

"Uh, then why were you going into Roy's office?" Morgan asked, looking confused.

"I need to talk to him too, but that can wait till later." She said. Kaytie turned to Ed, briefly smiling at Al. "I'm gonna borrow Morgan for the day, is that okay with you?" Her voice had a mocking tone to it and she smirked. Morgan knew she wasn't really asking permission. "I'll bring her back," She promised. "I would never let anything happen to your little girlfriend, now--"

Morgan blushed scarlet, "Kaytie--" She said warningly. But she never got a chance to finish. "She's not my girlfriend," Ed confirmed through clenched teeth.

Morgan felt her stomach drop and she flushed harder. She grabbed Kaytie's arm, "Can we just go?" She asked quietly tugging her toward the exit.

"I -- uh, yeah. Sorry." Kaytie said, moving to follow her out the door.

"What was that about?" Ed asked, feeling confused.

Al sighed, walking forward. The clink in his hollow armour echoed loudly. "If you don't know brother, I'm not going to tell you."

Ed stared after him, gaping slightly. "That's hardly fair." He argued. "How come Morgan was so upset? ... And how come you know and I don't?"

"Because you're oblivious." Al answered.

"Is that for the second question?" Ed asked, jogging to catch up with him. They made their way down the stairs in silence. Al didn't want to betray Morgan's confidence, but the truth was that his answer could have applied to both questions.

* * *

Morgan and Kaytie had spent the majority of the morning walking around and discussing trivialities.

"I'm sorry," Kaytie said.

Morgan stared at her, bewildered. "For what?" She asked.

"Winning."

"Seriously? What's wrong with you? You won fair and square." Morgan argued. "No harm no foul. It's fine."

"No it's not. I should have lost. Even if I had lost, my licence wouldn't have been in jeopardy, yours was. And for that I'm sorry."

Morgan smiled, "Don't' worry about it." She said. It was nice to hear that Kaytie was sorry, even if there was really no need to be. It meant she cared.

"Wanna get lunch?" Kaytie asked suddenly after there'd been a short silence.

"Sure," Morgan answered, smiling. "I have to shop later..." She added groaning.

Kaytie wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Me too. Damn Military Ball..." They entered a nearby café that had been both of their favourites when they were still living together. Then she thought for a moment. "Wait, I don't I already have a suitable dress." Thinking back on it, she still hadn't worn it. She's bought it back when she was staying with Dante; she'd loved it and had to have it. But she never thought she'd actually wear it.

"You own a dress?" Morgan asked, shocked. "Wow, any minute now the sky will be falling."

"Shut up," Kaytie grinned. "It's a nice dress. I like it. Oh, but I do need shoes, damn."

"I would have dragged you with me anyways," Morgan admitted. "It's always better to have a second opinion."

They were seated quickly and the waitress took their orders.

"I guess we'll do that after lunch," Kaytie said, sighing. "As long as we're on the topic of the ball, you're going with Ed, right?"

Morgan, who had been taking a sip of her water at the moment, choked and started coughing. "Um, no." She answered once she had regained the ability to breath. "I'm not going with anyone."

Kaytie's eyebrows knitted together and she gave Morgan a mock-stern look. "That won't do," She said, trying to fight back a smile. "Even I'm going with someone. Or... at least I think I'm going with someone." She said, remembering that Envy wasn't with her anymore.

"Sano, right?" Morgan asked. Kaytie nodded. "I don't need to go with someone, you know. Besides, Ed probably wouldn't want to go with me."

"Back at HQ I think he was just embarrassed," Kaytie said. "You know, when he snapped at me."

Morgan rolled her eyes, "Somehow I think you have to say that because you're my best friend." Morgan said.

"Well, yeah," Kaytie admitted. "But that doesn't make it any less true."

"I ... if you force me to get a date, it's not going to be Ed." She said. "Besides, can't it be someone outside the military?"

Kaytie nodded, making room on the table as their food was sat down. "So long as their checked out first; background check, standard procedure. Why, do you have someone in mind?"

Morgan flushed slightly, "Maybe," she confessed. "Only because Ed won't want to take me though," She clarified.

"I think you should just ask him," Kaytie said shrugging. "What could it hurt? If he says no you could just play it off as platonic."

Morgan considered this for a moment but all of the horrible things that were tied in with rejection made her force this thought out of her mind. "No, I think I'll stick to asking --"

"Asking who?" Kaytie asked as Morgan stopped herself.

Morgan smirked and it looked odd on her face, not suiting her. "It's a secret."

* * *

Ed sighed as he paid for his suit. "I hate shopping." He complained.

If Al was able to he could have rolled his eyes, "It wasn't that bad," He protested. "It would have been better with Morgan here, though."

Ed nodded reluctantly. "It would have taken longer though." Al nodded in agreement. "Where to now?" He asked.

"Dunno," Ed answered. "I suppose Morgan's meeting us back at the room?"

Al nodded, "Probably," and as an after thought added, "Are you going to ask her to the ball?"

Ed blanched, "W-what?"

"You know you should ask her, brother." Al said.

"Um, I was planning on going alone." Ed said. "I pretty sure she was too."

Al sighed; how could he be so oblivious? "Ask her." Al repeated. "She wouldn't want to go _alone_. You don't want to go alone, do you?"

"I'll ask Winry." Ed decided. "She'll be happy to come up here anyway. And heaven knows that Mustang will never let me live it down if I won't have a date."

Al sighed, poor Morgan.

* * *

Morgan's feet hurt and the part of her back that was black and clue ached. "I'm beat." She told Kaytie on their way back.

"Yeah," Kaytie agrees, pulling the hair tie out of her red, letting it drape across her shoulders. "And I've got a wicked headache."

"Welcome to the club," Morgan pushed her bangs out of her eyes and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, ignoring how her back protested with every step.

"Well, at least you got your dress and shoes." Kaytie said, attempting to look on the bright side of things. "Ed won't be able to keep his eyes off you."

Morgan blushed slightly, "Oh, shut up," She said, too tired to argue. "What will Sano think of you in your dress? I know it's a sight I can't wait to see. Honestly, Kaytie in a dress." She smiled.

"I really don't care what he thinks," Kaytie scoffed. "I'm only going with him for convenience." It was a convincing lie, she'd give herself that. But even Kaytie couldn't lie to herself; she cared. Way too much.

"Sure," Morgan said, closing her eyes. "Poor Ed, he's probably gonna end up going alone."

"Good," Kaytie said, raising her eyebrows. "If he didn't have enough sense to ask you, then clearly he doesn't deserve a date."

"Don't be like that," Morgan scolded. "He didn't want to ask me. And it doesn't matter because I can find a date no problem."

Kaytie raised her eyebrows again, "You sure about that?"

"Positive." Morgan wasn't exactly bluffing but she wasn't telling the truth either. Of course she'd prefer to go with Ed and it did matter. Morgan could tell that Kaytie knew she was lying. But she had the next best thing.


	26. Chapter 26

Authors' Note:

Chibi-chan: Wow, this chapter has been long coming. I promised an update in early July and I think the fifth qualifies as early. Even though I originally planned to update on the first. My computer decided to freeze on me while I was writing though and so I lost over four pages of the chapter and it was depressing. Anyway, that's why it took so long, well part of the reason.

Jin's Lady: The other reason is Chibi-chan being ... nerdy.

Chibi-chan: This summer I'm taking a full-credit couse in summer school so that I don't have to take it over the year. Well, actually I'm taking two. 12 university Advanced Functions and Relations, and 12 Calculus. Thankfully, Calculus isn't until August. But the work load is hard; in one day we get assigned about a weeks worth of work so yeah. I'll do my best to keep updates regular. Anyway, I think you'll find this chapter to be very long. It's the longest yet at 7000 something words and could have easily been split in two but I wanted to finish the Military Ball in one so yeah.

Jin's Lady: Enough of you rambling, their going to think we're stalling. Winry, do the disclaimer.

Winry: Fine. Chibi-chan and Jin's Lady do not own Fullmetal Alchemist and they never will. Please don't sue them, they have don't have any money. They do however own Morgan and Kaytie.

Jin's Lady: Thank-you. Please Read, Review, and Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 26: Dancing

**"You're going to the ball with _who_?"**

Ed yelled. Morgan winced.

"Russell," She repeated firmly. "I paid for his train ticket and everything. He'll be here tonight so we have time to get ready for the ball tomorrow."

Ed scrunched up his face and sighed exasperatedly, "And is there a specific reason why you didn't bother to tell me that you asked him until today?" He asked, his voice rising in volume as he continued his sentence.

Morgan shrugged, avoiding his eyes as she bent down to reorganize her bag. "You didn't ask." She answered. "Besides, I knew you were going to ask Winry, and I didn't want to go alone so ... I asked a friend for a favour. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Well," Ed pressed, trying to find something to argue. "Why didn't you ask me _before_ I asked Winry? ...You know, to go as friends. Winry and I are only going as friends." He stated glaring at her.

"And Russell and I are only going as friends," Morgan repeated as she finished organizing her bag and stood up straight. "So what's the problem?"

* * *

Kaytie was dead tired as she unlocked her hotel room. For the last week, she'd actually been working. She'd forgotten how mundane her job was compared to what she'd been through. The boredom was actually putting her to sleep.

And to make things worse, she was in a terrible mood. Envy hadn't returned from his disappearing act and the ball was tomorrow, which meant she was going dateless. Roy would never let her hear the end of it.

She flicked the light on and bolted the door behind her. Heading straight for the bathroom, intent on taking a long hot shower, she dropped her bag and pulled her shirt over her head.

"Wow," A very familiar voice made her freeze in her tracks just as she tossed her shirt to the floor. "I knew I was missed but I didn't expect a show."

Kaytie's arms immediately flew to her chest, attempting to cover herself as she quickly wheeled around to face the owner of the voice. _"What the hell?!"_ She yelled loudly. "Get out!!"

"Awe," Envy smirked, casually flicking his long green hair out of his eyes. "I'm hurt. This," He gestured to her, "was for me, wasn't it?"

"GET OUT!" Kaytie repeated, seizing the closest thing to her – the phone receiver – and throwing it as hard as she could at him.

Envy moved out of the way quickly and it bounced off the wall with a crack and fell hard to the floor. He was still smirking.

Whirling around, Kaytie stalked to the bathroom and slammed the door, locking it. She pressed her back to the door, breathing hard, allowing her long red hair to fall around her face. She squeezed her eyes shut but all she could see was Envy's taunting smirk.

She opened them and padded over to the mirror. Her green eyes stared back at her and she studies herself critically. Her black bra stood out vividly against her pale skin and the random scarring that decorated her stomach was dark. Her long hair fell limp against her back, to past her waist.

Before she knew it, her eyes were tearing up. It wasn't fair, she told herself as she used her fist to wipe away the tears. How dare he come back when she wasn't expecting him like that? How dare he see her without a shirt?

Turning away from her reflection, she stepped into the shower. She turned the water to the point where it almost burned and tried to scrub away the scars.

* * *

When Kaytie stepped out of the shower, she was tired and really didn't want to face Envy. Apparently she still had the ability to feel embarrassment. _**Is it embarrassment or shame? **_The voice she liked to call her conscience asked. Kaytie didn't answer.

She tied her long hair in a knot at the back of her head and dressed in her black pyjamas, as usual. She was strong, she could do this.

She opened the door and stepped out, deliberately avoiding Envy's eyes. Thankfully he wasn't smirking anymore; she noticed when she chanced a brief glance at him through her bangs. He was watching her curiously, probably wondering why she freaked out the way she did when she laughed off everything else. _She_ was still wondering why she freaked out like she did. No, it was best just to act like nothing happened.

"So Spiky," She said straightening up. "I guess Sano's my date for the ball."

Morgan waited at the train station with Al. Ed had refused to come with her. "What a jerk," She muttered.

"Hey Morgan, "Al said. "Is Russell bringing Fletcher?"

Morgan nodded, smiling. "Of course. I can't wait to see them, Fletcher's so cute."

Al nodded and they lapsed into a silence that lasted until their train arrived. When the train finally got there, Morgan stood on the balls of her feet, trying to see over the much taller crowd who was getting off the train. Suddenly, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her from behind and a small had grab the sleeve of her shirt. She just about jumped out of her skin. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" She asked, feeling exasperated as she turned to face Russell and Fletcher. Al was laughing quietly in the background.

"Not really, but it is fun to see you jump like that," Russell admitted.

"We missed you, Morgan!" Fletcher said, smiling for once. Morgan was happy to see that his eyes no longer looked quite as sad as they did when she and the Elrics were staying in Xenotyme.

"Missed you too," Morgan said, kneeling to give him a hug. "What say you, we go back to the room when Al, Ed and I are staying?"

"Will there be enough room?" Russell asked, taking his brother by the hand.

Morgan nodded, "Sure." She answered. "Ed doesn't mind. I'll sleep on the floor and Al has very graciously offered you and Fletcher his bed, for which I am eternally in his debt."

If Al could have rolled his eyes, he would have. "I already told you, I don't mind, Morgan."

Morgan did roll her eyes, "And how much do I have to tell you that I don't like kicking you out of your bed, no matter how much you offer?"

"At least one more time," Al answered, exasperated.

"_We_ are very grateful, anyhow." Russell answered. He turned to Morgan. "Thank-you for inviting us again. You're lucky I could get a few days off though."

"I know." Morgan agreed. "I should be thanking you for agreeing to even come. So thank-you. I am also eternally in your debt."

Russell shook his head, "This just makes us even for the time you helped us out."

Morgan smiled.

* * *

The next morning, Morgan woke to the sounds of Ed grumbling. "You okay?" She asked sleepily. She sat up from her position on the floor and pulled herself to her feet. "You sound annoyed."

"It's gonna be a bad day. I can feel it."

"How so?" Morgan answered, sounding amused. "The dreaded ball doesn't start until eight tonight and Winry gets here at noon, how bad can today be?"

He shrugged, "I guess we'll find out."

Morgan rolled her eyes, "Fine, be cryptic," She answered laughing. She pulled the drapes on the window to find that it was still dark out. What time was it anyway? The red numbers on the alarm clock beside Ed's bed told her it was just past five in the morning. "Why are you up so early?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Couldn't sleep," He answered, pulling his hair back into a neater braid. Suddenly Morgan reached out and caught his wrist. "Leave it down," She suggested.

"Why?"

"Because," Was her only answer as she pulled the elastic from his fingers.

"Fine," He relented, combing his fingers through it. "Only if you take yours down, though."

Morgan pouted, "Do I have to?" He nodded, smiling and Morgan reached back to her hair and pulled out the messy ponytail that held her hair. It tumbled to her shoulders. "At least you have nice hair." She companied. "I'm stuck with this haystack."

"Shh!" Ed said, watching Fletcher's small body stir at Morgan's loud voice.

"Sorry," She whispered. "I take it you've forgiven me then?" She asked, glancing at Russell and Fletcher.

Ed nodded, "Sorry I freaked out," He grimaced, sighing. "But honestly, you had to choose Russell?"

"Well, you know I have_ so_ many guy friends," Morgan said sarcastically.

Ed laughed, "Well, yeah that might have been a problem. You could have taken Al though. He won't be able to go now; it's for military people and their dates only."

"You'd think that because everyone knows Al that they'd let him in but no, that have to follow precedent." Morgan said scrunching her nose. "Well, considering we have nothing to do today, I'm going back to bed." She announced after a minute. "You should sleep too. God knows you'll need it if you have to deal with Winry all day."

When Morgan awoke four hours later, Ed was out cold on his back in bed snoring. She rolled he eyes. "Okay," She thought. ' have an hour before everyone will be campaigning for the shower so better take care of that now."

She showered and changed into a blue sweatshirt and cargo pants. "Wonderful," She said, smiling slightly as she brushed her dull hair out and gathered it to pull it into a ponytail. She studied herself in the mirror. Over the last few months, she'd acquired a darker tan than previous and she noticed that she had quite a few more freckles. One second thought, she pulled the elastic out of her hair, she'd leave it down.

She left the bathroom and shoved he clothes in her bag. "Al, you wanna help me wake people up?" She asked, noticing that he was reading a book by the desk.

"Sure," he answered.

"'Kay, you can wake Ed I guess." Morgan said. Then she smirked as an idea came to her. Never mind, Al."

She cleared her throat and placed herself in the middle of the room. _"It's time to rise and shine and give God the glory, glory. It's time to rise and shine and give God the glory, glory. It's time to rise and shine and give God the glory, glory, children of the Lord." _She sang.

Al as laughing hysterically as everyone sat bolt upright. "What the hell are you singing?" Ed asked groggily.

Morgan had to wait a moment for her laughter to pass before she could answer, leaving the others wondering what possibly could have possessed her to break out into religious song to wake them up. "My mom used to wake me up by singing that," She explained. "Even though I'm not particularly religious, I still enjoy waking people up with it. Sorry if I scarred you for life with my horrible singing skills," She said in afterthought.

"It wasn't _that_ bad," Russell said. Morgan stuck her tongue out at him.

"Shower's open," She offered. Ed bolted out of bed and toward the washroom, closing the door after he very maturely stuck his tongue out at Russell. Russell rolled his eyes and flopped back on the bed, looking tired.

"Sorry about him," Morgan said, smiling ever so slightly as she sank into the couch beside Al. "You know how Ed is."

"Yeah," Russell agreed. "So are you excited for the ball tonight?"

Morgan scrunched her nose up, "Not really," She admitted. "I'm not looking forward to wearing a dress. I don't look very good in them."

"_I'm _looking forward to seeing you in a dress." Russell said. "What does it look like?"

Morgan smiled slyly, "You'll have to wait and see." She said.

* * *

Kaytie stood in front of the bathroom mirror, studying her reflection as critically as she'd studied it that morning. She was too pale and too ... too something. Or maybe it was not enough of something?

Her eyebrows knitted together in annoyance; why should she care what Envy thought of her anyway? She wasn't even is friend, let alone anything more. How could you be friends with a homunculus anyway? It's not like he cared about what she looked like anyway, even if she did feel something more for him – which she definitely didn't.

She sighed; she didn't care anyway, and that was the way it was going to stay.

When Kaytie exited the bathroom, Envy wasn't Sano yet. He was too busy wondering what exactly he did to make her avoid him like the plague. Yeah, he walked in on her changing, but what difference should that have made? Before he even knew her, Lust had changed her clothes and she didn't seem overly upset about it so why should she freak out over it now? He wasn't even sure how he should ask her what he'd done wrong. He wasn't even sure why he cared at all.

As she came out of the bathroom, Envy's eyes were immediately drawn to her. Even he couldn't deny that she looked stunning. The dress she wore was black and ribbons criss-crossed down the front, weaved intricately into the fabric. It outlined her curves perfectly and was low-cut. It fell to the floor, not allowing a glimpse of her heels. Kaytie's hair was twisted into an elegant bun and held in place with shiny black chopsticks with random strands that hung down, framing her face. Envy couldn't read the expression but her green eyes were bright.

"What are you staring at, palm tree?" She asked, annoyed.

"Nothing." Envy answered, reapplying is usual smirk. He strode over to her and spun her around.

"What are you doing?" She asked, trying to struggle out of his grasp.

"Nothing," He repeated. "Now shut up, unless you want to be late."

Kaytie rolled her eyes and heaved an annoyed sigh but she stood still with her back to Envy trusting him not to do anything stupid. She jumped when she felt a slight pressure on the back of her neck and shivered; his fingers were cold. "What are you doing?" She repeated, sounding curious now instead of irritated. He didn't answer her but a moment later, she felt her chopsticks being pulled out of her hair and her hair tumble past her shoulders down to her waist. It was wavy from being twisted and complimented the dress nicely.

"That looks much better," Envy smirked.

Kaytie willed the blush from her cheeks and tried to sneer at him but failed. It came out looking more like a grimace. She sighed, wishing she could just stay home and sleep. "Well, let's go."

Envy rolled his eyes again, "Always in a hurry, aren't we?" He turned on his heel and in a moment Kaytie was missing his green spikes and Sano's features were staring back at her. "Ready?" He asked. His brown hair was still gelled into careful disarray but he wore a formal suit complete with a tie and everything.

"Y-yeah," Kaytie stuttered. "As ready as I'll ever be."

_**What is wrong with you tonight?**_

She heard her conscience ask.

_I don't know, she admitted, worried._

_**I think Morgan's right.**_ The voice said. **_I think you have feelings for him._**

* * *

Winry had arrived at noon, just like she was supposed to and she was thrilled to see Morgan, Ed, and Al. And now she was hanging off Ed's arm. It was amazing, Morgan thought, that she hadn't noticed that Winry did that before, when they were all in Risembool together. Morgan didn't like how jealous it made her feel.

It didn't help that Winry looked absolutely gorgeous. She was wearing a long light pink dress that Morgan supposed she bought when she first arrived in Eastern. It was a spaghetti strap and although the neckline was modest, the dress plunged when it came to the back. Her hair was half pulled back with a darker pink ribbon that went well with her blonde hair.

She couldn't say the same about her reflection. She couldn't do anything with her hair; it was too thin and dull to look good. Her dress and heels were blue but she didn't think they complimented her very well. She just tried on the dress and Kaytie took one look at her and made her buy it. It couldn't be helped.

She slowly turned the doorknob, hoping for a good reaction from Ed, as vain as that sounded. She quietly scolded herself, she wasn't even going with Ed! She shouldn't care about his opinion. But she did. And she felt bad because she didn't care about Russell's as much.

Everyone's eyes focussed on Morgan as she came out of the bathroom from getting ready, as she was the last to. She flushed slightly. Her brown hair was pulled back from her face with bobby pins and left down, curled slightly at the ends. It made her chocolate coloured eyes stand out. Her dress fell past her knees in graceful folds and hugged her hips. It was strapless and she wore a simple silver chain around her neck.

"You --" Ed started.

"You look really pretty," Russell said. Ed nodded in agreement. They were both decked out in a suit and tie and looked very handsome.

Morgan flushed in an embarrassed pleasure. "Thank-you." She said self-consciously.

Russell turned to Al, "Are you sure you're going to be okay watching Fletcher?" He asked.

"Of course." Al nodded.

Morgan smiled, "Should we go then?" She asked.

"Sure." Ed answered. "We might as well get this over with."

"Ed!" Winry scolded. "This will be fun. It's not often I get to do things with you, so could you try to at least think positively?"

Morgan rolled her eyes, _Fun; that's the word,_ she thought.

* * *

The music was soft and flowing when they entered the ballroom and everyone there looked beautiful. At least, that was Morgan's impression. She felt almost underdressed. "You okay?" Russell asked her. "I know I don't know you all that well but you've been awfully quiet and at least when you were pretending to help us, you weren't this quiet."

Morgan shrugged as she watched Winry trying to drag Ed out to dance out of the corner of her eye. "I'm not upset." She reassured him. "I'm just feeling ... nervous. Even though there's nothing to be nervous for."

Russell nodded, "I know the feeling." There was a short pause. "Did you want to dance?" He asked, holding his hand out.

Morgan smiled, taking it. "I have to warn you though," She said. "My dancing skills are about as bad as my singing skills."

"Oh," Russell said, "So they're not _that_ bad then." He laughed.

Morgan smiled, feeling content as he slipped his arms around her waist and she rested her hands on his shoulders. _If I spent more time around him,_ she thought, _I could probably really easily like him._ This thought disturbed her for a minute as she considered how alike Russell and Ed really were. She felt bad that she was taking Russell to the ball only because Ed hadn't asked her. But he knew that. He knew the way she felt about Ed and yet he still agreed to come.

"How come you agreed to come with me to the ball?" Morgan asked, looking up at him.

Russell laughed, "You mean even though I know you like Ed in a more than friendship way?"

Morgan blushed furiously, "Shh!! They're not that far away! They can still hear you!"

Russell rolled his eyes, "No their not. They're dancing way over there."

"Wow, she actually got him to dance?" Morgan asked. "Impressive."

"Anyway," Russell continued. "You helped us and this is sort of repayment. Besides," He said clearing his throat and sounding somewhat embarrassed. "You're a good person and I like you. It'd be sad if you had to go to a fancy ball all by yourself; especially if you had to keep looking over at Ed and see him dancing with Winry."

Morgan's face was very red by this point and she looked down, self-conscious.

"You do look really pretty tonight," Russell said. "You might not think so but you should have seen that way Ed looked at you."

"Oh, shut up." Morgan said, almost feeling heat radiate from her face. "You don't have to try to make me feel better, you know. I'm not going to shatter because he didn't ask me."

"I'm not trying to make you feel better." Russell said patiently. "He certainly was very impressed with the way you look. He didn't look at Winry that way."

"Anyway," Morgan said, rolling her eyes. "Enough about Ed already. You need to meet my friend Kaytie eventually."

"Speak of the devil," Morgan heard a very dry voice mutter.

Russell dropped his arms from her waist as she turned to see Kaytie and Sano standing behind her.

"You just scared the living daylights out of me!" Morgan said. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Sano laughed and moved closer to Kaytie, slipped his arms around her waist and pulling her to him. Kaytie however looked genuinely shocked at this and flushed deeply. She tried to wriggle away but he kept a tight hold, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Who did you have to introduce me to?" She asked, moving her red hair to over one shoulder, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Oh!" Morgan said, moving to include Russell in their little circle. "Sorry," She said. "This is Russell. I met him when Ed, Al, and I were in Xenotyme and he was kind enough to escort me to the ball."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Russell said, shaking Kaytie's hand.

Kaytie smiled, "Hurt her and you're dead." She said pleasantly.

There was silence for a moment before Morgan laughed awkwardly. "She's joking..." She said before clearing her throat.

"Aren't you the one Morgan tested her deception skills out on?" Sano asked and Morgan caught sight of Kaytie elbow him in the ribs. He didn't seem fazed by it though, in fact, it didn't even look like she hurt him at all.

Russell ignored the rudeness though, "Quite possibly." He answered. "She was very good at it." He offered.

Morgan blushed, glaring at Kaytie and wondering just how much she'd told Sano of what Morgan had told her.

"Anyway," Morgan said, changing the subject before it could get any more embarrassing. "Are you having fun?" She asked. "I like your dress." She said to Kaytie. "It suits you."

Kaytie smiled. "I like it too." She agreed. "I got it forever ago but haven't worn it 'till today." She explained. Sano stared at her curiously. "And I suppose it's not too bad, the ball I mean. It could be much worse."

Morgan laughed, "It sounds odd to hear you being optimistic."

"Shut up." Kaytie said, smiling slightly. "Well, you two enjoy yourself, Sano and I are going to go dance." She turned around, still trapped in Sano's embrace. "Right?" She asked.

He rolled his eyes, "Fine." He consented and Morgan and Russell watched Kaytie tug him away.

"Well, that's Kaytie for you." Morgan said, smiling and turning. "Shall we dance?"

* * *

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Ed muttered, looking down as Winry dragged him onto the dance floor. As if dancing wasn't embarrassing enough, all they were playing was slow, classical music. It was horrid.

"You better believe it, Edward." Winry said. She was in too good of a mood to notice his foul one. She draped her arms over his shoulders and he slid his arms around her waist. He was embarrassd to know that his height was several inches below hers.

Winry jumped as a peppy voice from behind her said, "Hi!" Ed sighed, one hand coming to his forehead as Winry spun around. She wasn't prepared for the sight that met her. Kaytie.

Winry hadn't seen Kaytie since she'd run away from Risembool four years previous and she hadn't talked about Kaytie since Morgan had ended up back in Risembool with Kaytie's parents. "Er..." Winry scolded herself for her unintelligent response.

"Long time no see." Kaytie said smiling. She had a boy with a disarray of brown hair who was dressed formally and attached to her arm.

"Go away," Ed said, grabbing Winry's wrist. "Go bother Morgan. I'm sure she'd be delighted to talk to you."

Kaytie pouted, "I've already bothered her. She's no fun. She's too busy having fun with _Russell_."

Ed glared at her, "Well that still doesn't give you a right to ruin our night."

"Sure it does, Shorty." Kaytie countered. "It's your fault anyway."

Winry sighed, her good mood slowly evaporating. She was standing and talking to the girl who once pulled her hair and pushed her into the river. This night couldn't get nay better. "What's his fault?" She asked.

"It's his fault that Morgan is having a good time." Kaytie answered, still smiling as she suddenly grabbed her boyfriend's, or so Winry assumed, hand.

"You don't make any sense." Winry said, now watching Kaytie's boyfriend. He had a sour expression on his face and wouldn't look in their direction; instead he stared directly at the floor.

"I make perfect sense." Kaytie said, glancing down at her hands, which were intertwined with the boy at her side. "You just don't understand it." She finished.

Winry rolled her eyes and allowed herself to be dragged away from Kaytie by Ed. "Oh, I hate her." Winry said as she reassumed her dancing position with Ed.

"Join the club." Ed said wearily. "I think she's plotting something." He said vehemently. "Why else would she come over here and bother us?"

"I dunno," Winry said, moving to the slow beat of the song, enjoying the feel of Ed's hands on her waist.

* * *

Kaytie smirked as Ed took hold of Winry's wrist and pulled her through the crowd and out of sight. "I need your help." She said, turning her face to Envy.

"And I need you to let go of my hand so I can go kill the little shrimp!" Envy growled.

Kaytie blushed, that was the second time she'd forgotten to let go of his hand after grabbing it, and quickly dropped it. She sighed, moving her long hair over one of her shoulders, "Well, you can't. Trust me, I know how you feel though – I can empathize." She said, rolling her eyes.

"No, seriously," Envy said, his Sano features looking dangerously close to insanity. "I need you to distract me before I do something I shouldn't and ruin the whole plan."

Kaytie paused, wondering for a brief moment why he hated Ed so much. "Er... I really want to get Morgan and the shrimp together. She likes him – I mean has feelings for him and I _know_ he feels the same way. He's just stubborn." She peered at him curiously, feeling as if she couldn't read him at all because he was disguised at Sano. Well, she couldn't read him very well before either but she still felt as though she was at a disadvantage. "Is this helping at all?"

Envy sighed, abandoning glaring viciously at Ed though the crowd. He turned to her, "How do you plan on doing that?" He asked, not sounding very interested.

"Er, they could dance together?" Kaytie suggested. "But they won't go anywhere near each other, which is our main dilemma."

"Our?"

Kaytie smirked, "Yes." She said. "You are going to help me whether you like it or not."

* * *

There was pseudo-silence in the dance hall for a moment as the song finished and the hall buzzed with soft conversation. As soon as the first note of the next song was heard, Kaytie and Sano were dancing in slow circles, making their way toward Winry and Ed. "Ready?" Kaytie whispered.

Winry sighed, enjoying the music and the feeling of Ed's arms around her waist. She was so focussed on the music that she hadn't noticed someone walk up behind her. "Could I cut in?" A smooth voice said in her ear.

She jumped, spinning around so fast that she didn't notice Ed smack his hand to his forehead. Standing in front of her was Kaytie's boyfriend. Winry blushed a violent pink and stuttered, "Um ..." She glanced at Ed, who rolled his eyes and motioned with his hand to go. After all, although he didn't trust Sano, what could one dance hurt? Winry smiled slightly, trying to ignore the butterflies that were assaulting her stomach, "Sure," She said, allowing Sano to take her hand. She wondered how Kaytie would feel about this.

Ed watched Winry and Sano make their way through the crowd to dance and moved in the opposite direction, toward the refreshments table. He was stopped just as it was in site by a firm hand on his shoulder by someone who was several inches taller than him. "Care to dance?" Asked a feminine voice that he recognized. Ed closed his eyes in exasperation; could the night any worse?

He turned and came face to face with Kaytie. "What do you want?" He ground out. "Don't you know your boyfriend is dancing with Winry?"

Kaytie nodded, "We trust each other _that_ much." She said patronizingly. "Like I asked before, care to dance?"

Ed gave her a deadpan look, "No."

Kaytie sighed dramatically, "Too bad for you then." She said as she forcibly draped her arms over his shoulders after placing his arms on her waist. Before Ed had time to wriggle out of her grasp, they were dancing around people moving farther away from his original destination. Ed was embarrassed that Kaytie towered over him by more than a few inches.

As the song ended, Kaytie stopped abruptly, ending the horrible rollercoaster ride. "You," She said, pausing slightly and glaring at him. "Need to work on your dancing skills. Do you realize how many times you just stepped on my feet?" Without another word, she turned and stalked in the opposite direction, leaving Ed wondering what exactly just happened.

He turned and found that he was closer to the refreshments table than he was before Kaytie had practically assaulted him. Pondering how exactly they managed that, he poured himself a glass of punch.

"Hey," A voice said. He looked up and saw that Morgan was standing next to him.

"Hey," He answered back.

They stood in a bit of an awkward silence for a moment before Morgan sighed, "So where's Winry?" She asked.

She watched Ed as he made a curious face, somewhere between disgusted and indifferent. "She's dancing with Sano."

Morgan's face was carefully bank for a moment, "She set us up."

Ed's head snapped up from his drink, "What?"

"She set us up," Morgan repeated, sighing and rubbing her temples. "Sano's dancing with Winry and Kaytie just about ripped Russell away from me. This is her way of trying to get us to dance together."

Ed's jaw dropped, "You're kidding," but Morgan just shook her head.

"Do you want to? – Dance, I mean." Ed asked.

Morgan blushed, "Should we give them that satisfaction?" She asked, wondering why she was hesitating.

Ed shrugged, "I think it would give them more satisfaction to not dance together actually; I mean it's not as if we specifically don't want to dance together, it's just that we haven't." He explained.

Morgan nodded, "True. What kind of best friends don't dance together anyway?" She asked.

Ed threw his paper cup in the garbage and grabbed Morgan's hand. "C'mon then." He said.

They made their way a few paces into the crowd and Ed dropped her hand. Morgan felt awkward, and felt awkward for feeling awkward. She sighed. Ed seemed to have noticed this, though; he pulled her close in an attempt at playfulness. She giggled and smiled, blushing heavily as his arms encircled her waist and she moved her hands so that they rested on his shoulders. She enjoyed being this close to him, having very few moments when she was. When he saved her from falling in Mrs Krimskii's pond, when she hugged him after catching Psiren, and when she was leaning on him after her assessment were the only times she could remember.

"Is Winry having a good time?" Morgan asked.

Ed nodded, "She loves this type of stuff." He said.

"Do you remember when we were little and we'd see my parents dancing?" Morgan asked. "And I made you dance with me because Al wouldn't but I couldn't dance very well and you let me stand on your feet but we both toppled over?" Morgan laughed, watching Ed smile as he remembered.

"Did that just come to you now?" Ed asked and Morgan nodded. "Well, at least you didn't get all faint."

"Yeah," Morgan agreed. "It's getting better. Anyway, I was so jealous that Winry got to dance with Al that day..."

"Really?" Ed asked, not being able to help but feel a little jealous at her jealousy. "Jeeze, I wasn't good enough?" He blushed, remembering being very happy that Morgan was dancing with him.

Morgan laughed again, "I was, like, six, Ed." She reminded him.

"Do you still like him?" Ed asked curiously.

Morgan was caught off her guard with that question, "No," She answered honestly. Then she smiled. "I love him as a friend though." She said.

Ed smiled weakly, not really expecting yes to be her answer. He really only asked it to have an excuse to ask his next question. "What about Russell?" he asked teasingly.

More prepared for this question, Morgan answered by shaking her head, "Only as a friend." She said carefully. "What about you?" She asked, a light-hearted tone to her voice. "Crushing on Winry, now?"

Ed rolled his eyes, "No." He answered. "That would be weird."

Morgan laughed, "Yeah." She agreed.

"When I was little though, I did." Ed admitted, his eyebrows knitting together briefly at the memory. Then he smiled, "I bounced back and forth between you and her a lot." He confessed.

Morgan's cheeks flushed a light pink and she hoped Ed wouldn't notice. "Really?"

Ed nodded, chuckling slightly, "Yeah. Al and I used to fight over who we were going to marry when we grew up."

Morgan flushed hotly.

"We were eccentric when we were little, eh?" He asked, smiling.

"Yeah," Morgan said breathlessly. "Eccentric."

* * *

The ball ended at midnight and walking back to her hotel, Kaytie was dead on her feet. She felt as though she were sleep walking. "Hurry up," She grumbled at Envy, who was only a step behind her.

"Yes master." He said with heavy sarcasm. "You should be saying that to me."

Kaytie rolled her eyes, "Winry took quite a liking to you, didn't she?"

Envy pulled a face that was full of disgust. "Yes, it was pathetic." He paused, "you got what you wanted though."

Kaytie nodded; Morgan and Ed had danced tgther and the tension between them was no longer so think that she could have cut it with a knife. She sighed, "I didn't get to dance a lot, though." She said, rubbing at her eyes tiredly as she pushed the elevator button impatiently.

"You danced with the shirmp," Envy pointed out, another idsgusted look on his face.

Kaytie rolled her eyes again, "Yes, because that was oh so enjoyable."

"It wouldn't have been any more enjoyable had you been dancing with me." Envy said bitterly.

Kaytie bit her tongue, thinking that it so would have been. Then she internally scolded herself as they silently got onto the elevator and pressed their floor number. As soon as Kaytie got into her room, she went straight to the bathroom and washed off her subtle make-up that no one had even noticed and changed into pyjamas -- an oversized t-shirt and sweatpants.

She fell into bed, ignoring Envy who was thankfully back to his usual appearance. She drew the blankets around her.

Envy moving his spiky green hair out of his eyes and shifted slightly. He was sitting at the desk, being completely bored. His eyes fell on Kaytie, who was buried in a pile of blankets, breathing softly. She looked small and fragile to him, swimming in too many blankets, as humans usually did. "Kaytie?"

She made a small noise that indicated that she'd heard him. "Are you okay?" Envy didn't know those words were going to come out of his mouth until they did and it surprised him.

"I'm fine," She said into the pillow. Her words were muffled and barely distinguishable.

Envy stood and moved over to the bed, lying on top of the blankets, "I'm not sleeping on the floor," He offered as his excuse. A part of him was scolding himself. Another part, the part that Lust would have mocked, ignored it.

"I don't _care_," Kaytie said, rolling over so that her back was to him.

He sighed, moving closer to her and pulling her closer to him. In a tired haze, Kaytie didn't object, leaning into him and falling further into sleep.

* * *

"I'm so ready to sleep," Winry said as Ed open the door to their room.

"Me too," Morgan agreed, sitting on the floor next to the couch.

Fletcher was already asleep in the bed that he and Russell were sharing and Al was sitting on the couch reading. He looked up from his book as they entered the room. "How was it?" He asked.

"Nyer," Morgan answered, making an noise that wasn't coherent. She sighed,

"It was fine." Ed said, undoing his tie.

"I had a good time," Winry yawned tiredly. "And I'm taking a shower," She said, heading towards the bathroom.

"Did Fletcher give you any trouble?" Russell asked Al.

Morgan tuned out the rest of the conversation, wishing Winry would hurry up in the shower because she needed one too.

"I call shower next," She heard Ed say.

She inwardly groaned.

"I'm after him." Russell said, pausing for a moment in his conversation with Al.

Morgan flopped down on her back; so much for getting to sleep soon.She was last in line for the shower.

Sleep ... Then she had a terrible thought, "Where's everyone going to sleep?" She asked aloud.

Ed haulted and flopped himself into the chair, "That ... is a very good question." He answered.

"What if Russell and Fletcher and you stay where thay are, me and Al take the floor, and Winry takes the couch?" She asked, leaning back on her palms. "Sorry, Al." She said.

Ed shook his head, "She can't sleep on a couch, she'd kill me." He said, referring to Winry.

__

Oh, but the couch is fine for me,

Morgan thought sarcastically.

"I'll take the couch and you and Winry take my bed." He offered.

Morgan shrugged, "Fine."

When Winry came out of the bathroom, she was wearing flannel pyjamas that looked really comfortable. "Where am I sleeping?" She asked.

"Over there," Ed said, pointing to his bed.

She crawled under the covers without another word. "'Night," She said, not even bothering to ask them to turn out the lights.

Ed made for the washroom so that he could grab a shower next but Morgan stopped him, "Don't you think that we should let the guest go first?" She asked.

Ed rolled his eyes, "No," He answered honestly.

"Russell, go ahead." Morgan said, ignoring him and tuning out his protest.

After Russell, got out of the bathroom, Morgan stood and ran into the small room, slamming the door.

Ed stared after her and sighed, "I should have known that was coming." he said tiredly.

Morgan staggered out of the bathroom, and collapsed next to Winry.

Ed sighed as he made his way to take a shower. After, he was wondering what time it was. Checking the clock, he found that it was almost two in the morning. Grabbing a blanket that was near, he threw it on the couch. It was then that he noticed that Morgan was still sitting up in bed as opposed to lying down sleeping. "Why are you still up?" He asked.

"I was waiting for you." She answered, sleep making her voice slow. "If I lied down I would have fallen asleep."

"You didn't need to do that." Ed said.

"I know." Morgan answered. "I am going to sleep now though; I just thought you might want someone to say goodnight to."

Ed smiled slightly at her childishness. "I have Al." he reminded her.

"Oh yeah," She said. "Well," Goodnight." She said, lying down. As always, she was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, her breathing soft and slow.

"'Night," Ed whispered back, aware that she couldn't hear him. And then, even more softly, "I love you."


	27. Chapter 27

Authors' Note:

Chibi-chan: That's right, we're still alive. Yep... Sigh Okay, so welcome to the 27th chapter of Life, Love, Lost.

Jin's Lady: Get on with it, Chibi-chan

Chibi-chan: Okay, first and formost I would like to apologise in advance for how long this authors' note is going to be, but I need to say a few things before we get on with the chapter. Right, first, I need to apologise for my appalling lack of updating. I've had a lot of things going on in my life and I'm not sure I want to disclose all of them right here so yeah. I will say that I've been going to summer school, though and that has been taking up almost all of my time. Grade twelve math and Calculus are harder than I thought. But I did manage a 76 percent in math and an 80 something in Calculus so it was worth it. Also, my internet decided it hated me for three weeks so ... that would be another reason. I can't write without the internet because I need to look up the episodes online. Yeah.

Jin's Lady: -Eyes above rant suspiciously- Are you done yet?

Chibi-chan: -Shakes head- No. I would also like to thank everyone who reviewed Chapter 26. Seven reviews! That's the most for one chapter :D Here I would like to thank Uxinta-Youkai and haipa-chan because they weren't signed in when they reviewed and we haven't had a chance to previously thank them. So thank-you! -

Jin's Lady: Are you done now?

Chibi-chan: -Nods- Right, on to the disclaimer. Hughes?

Hughes: Krimskii, Chibi-chan and Jin's Lady, do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or anything associated with it, save for this story and morgan, Kaytie, and Sam. Now that that's taken care of, who wants to see a picture of my darling Elysia?!

Jin's Lady: Give it a rest Hughes. Now, please Read, Review, and Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 27: Needle in a Haystack

When Roy entered his office that morning, he felt like he was hung over. The military ball the night previous had kept him out until almost dawn. Of course, it didn't last that long.

Sam had decided not to show and so he was left dateless at the last minute. It was horrible. He asked Riza, and surprisingly he had a nice time. He was actually glad that Sam didn't show up. Afterward, he and Riza went out for coffee, _strictly as friends, of course,_ he thought.

Sighing, Roy ran his hand through his hair, wondering what would be the weird twist to today. Somehow, amazingly, _Kaytie_ had managed to bridge the growing gap between Morgan and Ed. _Kaytie_, of all people! The world would soon come to an end, surely. And Kaytie, in a dress! Maybe the world already had ended.

Morgan, Ed, and Al had left this morning in search of Marcoh. It was most likely that they wouldn't be back for a while. Whenever Sam did get around to coming, she was going to take a fit. Oh well; it was just one more insane person for him to deal with. Speaking of insane people, he promised he's meet Hughes at two. He ran a tired hand over his face; it never ended.

About quarter to two, Roy pushed his unfinished paperwork aside and stacked it into a piled in the corner of his desk. He had to meet Hughes in fifteen minutes and God forbid he be late; he'd never hear the end of it.

Twenty minutes later he arrived at the bar, twitching as he saw that Hughes hadn't even arrived yet. After another five minutes of waiting, the door across the room opened and Hughes entered, smiling the smile he always had plastered to his face.

They both sat down quickly; as much as Roy hated to admit it, they had a lot to discuss.

* * *

Kaytie sighed as she woke up and found that she was smiling and unusually warm... and not where she fell asleep the night previous. Leaning back, she found that something hard was pressed up against her shoulders. Kaytie tilted her head back and found herself staring into mischievous violet eyes. "Miss me?" Envy's voice rang out.

With a startled cry, Kaytie tried to scoot away from him but discovered that his arms were wrapped firmly around her waist, preventing her from moving. "What the hell are you doing?" She asked her voice steely.

Envy laughed, releasing her and sitting up, "It's just so fun to see you blush." He said, laughing at her embarrassment. "And you last night you didn't seem too mind." He said, trademark smirk appearing on his face. _Once again,_ Kaytie thought not for the last time, _I would like to rip it off his face._

"Stupid sadistic bastard," She muttered, sitting as well. "Where the hell are we, anyway? As I recall, I fell asleep in my hotel room, as I do every night, which is clearly not where we are right now. And why does this room look suspiciously like The Dark Room that you confined me to while you held me hostage in Lior." She said darkly.

Envy smiled feigning innocence. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He said.

Kaytie ran a tired hand over her face, "Why are we in Lior, Envy?" She asked flatly.

"This is where I was when I disappeared last week." He said, suddenly serious. "My assistance was required here so..." He trailed off. "But since my presence was required at that horrid military ball last night and maintaining your cover is more important at the moment, I came back. Since that's over, we both need to be here at the moment. Your 'assignment' still gives you a reason to be away so you're all covered."

Kaytie shook her head trying to rid herself of her growing headache. "So what exactly are we doing here?"

Envy smirked, "Keeping up a charade."

"Lovely," Kaytie said sarcastically. She stood unsteadily, still slightly intoxicated with sleep and embarrassment at waking up so close to Envy. "Get out," She said, steadying herself on the wall.

Envy looked confused, "Why?"

Kaytie looked at him as if he'd grown an extra head, "I need to change, you idiot. You did bring my bag, right?"

Envy rolled his eyes as he left the room, "It's over there." He said, motioning to the corner.

Kaytie threw on the fist things she pulled out of her duffle bag -- a long-sleeved black shirt and black slacks. She ran a brush through her long hair, hearing stands rip as she pulled through the knots. She pulled it into a ponytail and it swung to her elbows, shining and red.

She shoved her clothes from the day before into her bag and opened the door. Envy was waiting for her, leaning against the wall. "Ready, Princess?" He asked.

Kaytie rolled her eyes, blatantly ignoring the slight flip of her stomach as he called her Princess. "Where to, Spiky?" she asked.

"Follow me."

It was silent as he led the way down the hallway. They made their way up two flights of stairs and down another hallway, the opposite way then the first. At first Kaytie thought he might be taking her to the room where she first found out that Furher Bradley doubled as Pride, but they passed it.

Just as she began to wonder how big the church actually was, Envy came to a stop. "You remember Lust, right?" He asked.

Kaytie nodded; she remembered Lust a little too vividly. "And Gluttony." She added.

Envy nodded, "They're in this room. I'm needed elsewhere for the time being. When I come back, we all need to have a little discussion."

Kaytie nodded, placing her hand on the doorknob. "Bye." She said. Envy rolled his eyes and gestured for her to get out of his sight. Kaytie mock-saluted him and opened the door. The first thing she saw was a flight of stairs that lead up. She climbed them and emerged into a room that was brightly lit and, unlike the other rooms she was used to in Lior, it had a window that was responsible for most of the lighting in the room.

Lust and Gluttony turned to look at her immediately. "Hey," She said, trying not to be intimidated. They looked exactly like they did last time she saw them.

"Can I eat her, Lust?" Gluttony asked, looking briefly at Kaytie before turning to Lust. Kaytie pulled a face, disgusted.

"No, Gluttony." Lust said. "She's one of us now."

Kaytie heart fluttered slightly, her eyebrows raised. She was one of them?

It was two hours before Envy returned; it was the longest, most boring two hours of Kaytie life.

"How foolish," Lust broke the silence a few minutes before Envy walked through the door. "Humans are so foolish." She said.

"Foolish! Foolish!" Gluttony agreed, giggling.

Kaytie stared at them. Deciding not to take personal offense at this, she stood from her spot on the dusty floor and paced over the window. The sight below her revealed that the military had invaded Lior. Not that it was that surprising; after what happened a few months ago, who could blame them? The sounds of gunfire and shouting met her ears and she turned away, sighing.

"When things precede this smoothly, their foolishness is rather refreshing, don't you think?" A deep male voice said from just behind Kaytie. She almost jumped out of her skin. Whipping around to see who was talking, she came face to face with Father Cornello. After a moment of intense alarm in which all she could think was, you're supposed to be dead! Kaytie realized that it was Envy. "Are you trying to give me heart attack?" She hissed, glaring.

"Hello, Head Priest, sir." Lust said smirking, shooting a significant glance at Kaytie, who rolled her eyes. "What exactly did you do to get them all riled up?"

"I just urged the believers a little," The Father Cornello look-alike said. Kaytie could hear the repressed smirk in his voice. "Then they started killing each other. What was I to do? The military is only making the matters worse by trying to stop them." He let out a big dramatic sigh.

"They don't know how to learn." Lust said. "No matter how many times they repeat the mistake." She paused, turning again to stare out the window. "Humans are sad, foolish creatures."

Kaytie twitched; she would like to think that she was smart enough not to repeat a mistake twice. She didn't dare interrupt though; this conversation was too important. It was too important that she was part of a conversation this important.

Father Cornello sighed, "We're doing all of this to create the Philosopher's Stone." He finished.

Kaytie didn't think she'd ever heard Envy so serious before; it was becoming hard to remember that he was Envy. As if on cue, Envy raised a hand and scoffed. "At least I can finally…" There was a flash of light and Kaytie closed her eyes as he shifted into his usual appearance. "return to my cute form." He smirked and Kaytie smiled.

"That again?" Lust asked in a mocking tone. "You sure like to look young."

Envy rolled his eyes, glancing briefly at Kaytie who remained silent, before retorting, "Well it's not as if I have any other choice. I've forgotten what my true form looked like." He said.

Kaytie's head snapped us just as Envy turned his head to look toward the door. There were footsteps and a gasp. A man who Kaytie recognized as one of Father Cornello's believers was staring at the in horror. "What's going on?" He asked loudly, looking alarmed. "Where's the high priest?!"

The look on Envy's face was the epitome of boredom and it made Kaytie giggle, which turned into full-out laughing. Envy smirked. "Where's the real head priest?!" He asked again, louder this time.

"What shall we do?" Lust asked silkily.

Envy shrugged carelessly, still smirking. "Tell him the truth," he recommended. "The head priest is already…" he trailed of suggestively.

"Can I eat him?" Gluttony interrupted. Kaytie shivered slightly at the repulsive thought as Gluttony giggled creepily. He started forward and Kaytie turned her head, not watching, feeling as though she might vomit.

There was a scream and the sound of blood spattering. Kaytie whimpered in disgust.

"Oh, I just remembered," Envy said changing the subject and paying no mind to Gluttony. "I received information about that guy."

Kaytie opened her eyes and pointedly looked at Envy, trying to ignore the sound of tearing flesh as Gluttony ate.

"He's left Central City and is headed for East City."

"That State Alchemist killer?" Lust asked. Kaytie head snapped around to look at her. That had caught her attention.

Envy nodded and Kaytie's gaze settled back on him. "In East City there's that Flame Colonel." He said and Kaytie's stomach clenched. "And of course the Fullmetal kid." He stomach was now in knots. If whomever they were talking about caught up with Ed and Al … Morgan would surely be with them.

"Really." Lust said. "That child is the closest person to out goal." She said. "Why is she," She gestured to Kaytie at this point, "not with him, convincing him, helping him get to the right path?" She asked.

Kaytie sighed, figuring she might have to explain this one. "He'd never allow me to travel with him." She wrinkled her nose, "Not that I'd want to." She added. "More suspicion would come of it than anything." She said. "Especially right after I pulled a disappearing act over the 'assignment'." She explained.

Lust glanced at Envy and he nodded. "At any rate," She continued. "We cannot let that killer do something to him."

"Lust!" Gluttony called out from behind Envy, turning and waving a blood covered hand in the air. "I'm done eating!"

Kaytie turned quickly and leaned over the railing of the window as the content of her stomach threatened to expose itself.

"Wipe your mouth, Gluttony." She said, disinterested.

"Yes, ma'am!" He mumbled unintelligently.

Kaytie shuddered again, attempting not to retch. "Weak stomach?" Envy smirked at her from his place leaning against the rail. Kaytie glared at him.

Lust turned back to Envy and Kaytie. "So what did they call him?" She asked, referring to the alchemist killer.

* * *

Roiy set his glass down, "Scar?" He repeated after Hughes. "A man with a scar?"

Hughes nodded slightly, "We don't have his true identity yet." He explained. "But eyewitnesses say that he has a big scar on his forehead," He said, tapping his forehead for emphasis. "So that's what we call him."

"Is he the guy who killed all the State Alchemists in Central city?" Roy asked.

Hughes grimaced, "He killed nine, if you want to be exact." He said, sighing. "Four in Central city alone but in total there have been nine."

"Does this include ... You know, a year ago?" Roy trailed of meaningfully.

Hughes nodded grimly. "And if we include the victims that were around them at the time, the death toll easily surpasses twenty." He went on.

"They looked like they were blown up from the inside, didn't they?"

Both Hughes and Roy jumped and turned at the new voice.

"Sam?" Roy asked, what are you doing here?"

Sam rolled her eyes, "I missed my train so I couldn't make it to the ball. I guess I missed Morgan too, huh?"

Roy nodded, "They left this morning."

"Anywho," Sam said, taking the empty seat beside them. "Fill me in."

"You already seem to know almost as much as I do," Hughes said.

Sam shrugged, "When you've seen what I've seen…" She trailed off.

They nodded, understanding exactly what she meant.

"His weapon and motives are unknown. This is on of the primary reasons people in Central Headquarters got so panicked." He finished. "So, they come here on vacation, using the 'I'm-escorting-the-Furher' excuse."

"And the killer won't come chasing them here?" Roy asked sarcastically.

"You're here as well." Hughes smirked. "The people who gave you that demotion three years ago know about your skilled abilities, you know. It's not like you're unknown."

Roy scoffed, "I'm starting to want to run away as well."

Sam rolled her eyes.

"The problem is his next target." Hughes said.

Sam sighed; she had a feeling who it might be. And it was not good.

"Excuse me?" A pretty, blonde waitress said.

"I'm sorry!" Hughes said loudly. "But I have a really cute daughter who's about to turn three soon!!" He said.

Sam stared at him. Well, he hasn't changed, she thought, still totally spazzy.

After her initial shock, the waitress smiled, "A phone call for you, sir." She said, setting the telephone down in front of him.

"What?" Hughes asked, confused. "Oh! Thank-you!" He picked up the receiver and put it to his ear, "Hello, this is Hughes." There was a pause. "What … Major?" Roy took a sip of his drink, watching Hughes intently. "I understand." Hughes said, hanging up.

He stood and Sam noticed his demeanor had changed from informal to business-like. "They found a soldier's body down by the Eastern Station." He explained.

Roy froze in the middle of taking a sip of his drink. "Was he destroyed from the inside?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

Hughes nodded.

_This is not good_, Sam thought as she stood and followed them out.

* * *

Sam was horrified as they arrived at the scene. The body was slouched; face down on the ground with his arms and legs bent at odd angles. There was a halo of blood splattered around his head.

Frantic, her eyes wide, she turned to Roy, _"Where's Morgan?"_

* * *

Morgan felt like they'd been _everywhere_. Somewhere along the line, she'd coined the term 'Village Hopping' because that's what it felt like they were doing -- just hopping from village to village, trying to find someone in a crowd like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Thankfully, though, the haystack seemed to offer directions. Everywhere they'd been, people seemed to have been helped by Dr Marcoh. Morgan stuck her hands in her pockets, closing her eyes as she walked. She wasn't really paying attention when Ed stopped, taking out a wrinkled piece of paper from his jacket pocket. Morgan walked right into him.

"Ow," She said stumbling back slightly. "You know, you're not supposed to just stop in the middle of the road." She said, annoyed.

Ed rolled his eyes, "You know, you're not supposed to walk around with your eyes closed." He countered.

"Morgan, Brother, don't bicker." Al asked.

When they finally arrived in town, it felt like they asked everyone if they'd heard of a Dr Marcoh. Just as she was thinking that it wasn't possible to ask anymore people than they already had, Ed stopped to talk to a man pulling a cart loaded with grass. A young boy that Morgan assumed was his son stood dutifully by his side.

"Doctor Marcoh?" The man repeated when Ed asked him about it.

"Do you mean Doctor Mauro?" The little boy asked.

Al shook his head, sighing. "No," He said. "We're looking for Doctor Marcoh."

Morgan tapped her foot impatiently.

"Well," The man said, shifting slightly. "There's only one doctor in this village – Doctor Mauro."

Half an hour later, they stopped again, "As you can see, the people living on this road are poor." The three men explained. They were sitting on stools in a semi-circle looking very tired. "We used to have to waste half our day to see a doctor in East City."

Ten minutes later, an old woman with silver hair tied in a bun on the top of her head told the same story as she leaned heavily on her walking stick. "He's a good man," She said, smiling gently. "He even sees patients who were abandoned by their other doctors."

And outside a farm a quarter of an hour later, a man holding a pitchfork vouched for him also. "When I got my leg stuck in a cultivator and almost died, he cured it and made it feel brand new."

"During the operation, I saw a bright red light!" A little girl said, tugging on the farmer's sleeve.

"Yes, yes!" Someone else nearby agreed.

"Well, that sounds promising." Morgan said brightly.

"A light…" Al pondered.

"It was alchemy," Ed said matter-of-factly. "This is Doctor Marcoh, all right."

From her position in the middle of them, Morgan smiled. Her feet were killing her and she had a headache the size of a whale but she was happy. They were on the right track.

All of a sudden, a thought struck Morgan and she frowned, "Isn't he running from the military?" She asked.

Al nodded in agreement, "Why would he become a doctor?" He asked aloud. "Rumors will spread…"

Ed stopped in his tracks for a heartbeat and suddenly, Morgan found herself being shoved into a close by stack of hay.

"What the hell?" She asked, turning to Ed.

"Shh!" She said, covering her mouth with his hand. Al stuck his head out the top of the stack and when Ed saw this, he grabbed Al and pulled him back down. "Don't move." He whispered.

"That was mean!" Al said, continuing to ignore Ed. "Do you want me to be full of straw?"

"Shh!" Ed repeated frantically.

Morgan pushed her way up to where Ed and Al were and peered through the small holes in the hay. "What are we looking for?" She asked.

"Oh, for the love of – _be quiet_!" Ed said loudly.

Morgan glared at him but held her tongue. They continued to peer through the gaps in the hay and watched as a towering figure rounded the corner. He was wearing a dark black cloak but his blue military cap gave him away at first glance. He removed it, revealing shiny scalp and one lone blond curl at the front of his head. "Major Armstrong?" Morgan mouthed silently to herself.

From the time when Kaytie worked in Central, when she first became a State Alchemist, Kaytie knew Armstrong. He was just one of the personnel that you had to know, if you work with them at all. It was impossible not to know him.

Of course, Morgan who had lived in either Risembool (where everyone knew everyone and a new face wasn't likely to be found) or Eastern, when her parents transferred, and she knew many people, but almost no one from Central, with the vague exception of Hughes. When she moved in with Kaytie, that all changed. Suddenly, she had people coming at her from everywhere. Of course, she knew who Armstrong was; Kaytie knew who Armstrong was.

"Who is that?" She heard Al whisper.

"He's one of the alchemists that came from Central City with the Furher." Ed explained.

Morgan turned to them, "He's Major Armstrong." She whispered to them. "I met him through Kaytie." She said. "He's nice, I think."

"Why is he here, though?" Al asked. "Did he follow us?"

Morgan's attention was once again following Major Armstrong. He had his hand up to his forehead, shielding his eyes from the sun as if looking for something.

She felt Ed shrug, "The Colonel said that he didn't report Marcoh's location to the military."

Armstrong secured his cap once more and turned in the other direction, having not found what he was looking for.

Hesitation only for a moment, Ed grabbed Morgan's hand and pulled her out of the haystack. "Ew," She said, grimacing at the around of straw that clung to her clothes. She brushed herself off as best she could and gathered her hair in a ponytail. "Could we have some warning next time you decide a bail of hay would be a good hiding spot?" She asked in exasperation.

Ed ignored her, brushing himself off and turning to the haystack. "We should hurry." He said. "Marcoh's house should be near."

Morgan rolled her eyes as Al stood, looking like he was a haystack with metal arms and legs with a helmet. "Good job." She sighed.


	28. Chapter 28

Authors' Note:

Chibi-chan: Okay, so I know you want to kill us. This chapter is soo late and on top of that, it's not really all that long either. There's just so many things going on right now. I'm sure I said the same thing to you last year but Grade 12 is so much harder than Grade 11. Like, it really is. Even Biology, which I love, is harder. So I've had less time to write. On top of Bio and Physics, I have an online course so it seems like everytime I'm on the computer, I'm doing a module for that. I do apologise and I just want to reassure you that I will never, _never_ give up on this story.

Jin's lady: Once again, we start out with a rant. Do you think this will become a habit?

Chibi-chan: Shut up.

Jin's Lady: We'd also like to thank everyone who reviewed for Chapter 27. As well, we do assure you that Chapter 29 will knock your socks off. If anyone would like to take a stab at why there is a cliffhanger at the end of this chapter, you get an Ed or Envy cookie! So ... some thoughts:  
... Think about the episode this chapter models...  
... Think about how Morgan feels about certain things in this chapter...  
... Think about what Morgan hasn't told Ed and Al yet. They know some of it but you don't even know the rest yet.  
And that's reason there is why there is a cliffhanger at the end of this chapter.

Chibi-chan: Also, an apology for the lack of Kaytie in this chapter. I don't know if she'll be in the next but she will definitely start off Chapter 30. So now, disclaimer. MARCOH!! You need to do the disclaimer!

Marcoh: Krimskii, that is to said, Chibi-chan and Jin's Lady, do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. They do own this story and Morgan and Kaytie but they are not making money off any of that.

Chibi-chan: Very thorough. Now, Read and Review guessing about the cliffhanger (What hasn't Morgan told Ed and Al of her past yet?) for Ed or Envy cookies! Now, Enjoy!!

* * *

Chapter 28: Life's Not Fair

The house was big, stone, and clearly old. Its white walls had random red bricks here and there, giving it an odd texture. Ed knocked on the wooden door and the trio waited for Doctor Marcoh to answer.

Ed was greeted with a gun pointed straight in his face. Morgan whimpered and backed away behind Al almost immediately. Her last experience at gunpoint was less than necessary.

The man behind the gun gave off the suggestion that he was dangerously unstable; he was shaking violently from his head, which was covered in think salt-and-pepper hair, down to his toes. His brown eyes were wide and frantic. They kept darting from Ed to Al to Morgan and back again.

"Hey now," Ed said backing away slightly, visibly nervous. "We just came to…"

"You said you're state alchemists?!" He asked. Morgan blinked; she must have missed that. It all happened so fast. "Did you come to bring me back there?!" He asked frantically.

"Um, you're the Crystal Alchemist, Doctor Marcoh, right?" Al asked in a shaky voice.

"I don't want to go back there!" He repeated. "Please … Don't…."

"We're not here to …" Morgan said weakly.

"That's not it," Ed expanded. "We came to ask you some things."

"Please," Al said, not lowering his arms that he'd thrown up at the sight of the gun. "That's dangerous."

"Did you come to … kill me?" He choked out. "I won't let you kill me! I ... I…" He stuttered.

Al sighed and took a step forward. Marcoh stepped back. Marcoh's eyes were wide, his gun barrel pressed flush against Al's empty armour. "It's okay," Al said. "I won't die, even if you try to kill me." Al stepped forward again, causing the metal of the gun and his armour to clang, making a hollow sound.

Marcoh hesitantly lowered his weapon. "You're … I see. You're the Fullmetal Alchemist."

Morgan sweat dropped, watching as Ed twitched. He roughly pushed Al out of the way, "I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist!" He said menacingly.

Morgan sighed, wondering exactly how many times that happened. She could at least count four. No wonder Ed was sensitive about his height.

Morgan grabbed the back of Ed's collar and pulled him toward her, "Cool it," She said, rolling her eyes. "It's not Al's fault you're small."

"Who are you calling so small that they have to reach up to tie their own shoe laces?!" 

"Okay, first of all," Morgan said, "That didn't even make sense. Second, pay attention to the task at hand here!"

Ed glared at her and looked expectantly at Doctor Marcoh.

"You might as well come in, then." The doctor said, pushing his door wider open.

The inside of his house gave off the same feel as the outside, Morgan noticed. The room that they followed him into was simple, a bed covered in a white sheet and a long wooden table. The four of them pulled up chairs.

Doctor Marcoh began abruptly, "I ran from the battlefield … and stole the research data I had. The military might still be after that data."

Ed gasped and leaned forward and Morgan's eyes widened, "That's it!" He exclaimed. He stood, supporting himself with his hands on the table, "We were doing research on Human Transmutation…"

"I cannot!" Marcoh interrupted.

Morgan's eyes were darting back and forth between them. She had already decided to stay out of the conversation as much as possible. It's not like she had done any of the necessary research for talking about things like this. She was unprepared and uneducated, which suited her just fine. She didn't really want to know about Human Transmutation; it was forbidden and that was good enough for her. Although, she reflected, she'd probably end up learning at least a bit, if she continued traveling with Ed and Al. It's not like that was going to change any time soon.

"I can't show you anything." Marcoh finished after a minute. "Although I was ordered to do it, I was involved in the research of that thing … And it was used in the massacre during the East Rebellion…" Marcoh's voice broke and he laid his head in his hands. It was a sad sight.

"Massacre?" Ed asked.

Morgan broke her rule, "Like the rebellion of Ishbal, right?" She asked. She remembered it; both her's and Winry's parents were called away. The only difference being Morgan's came back and Winry's didn't.

Marcoh was far away now, "It was terrible …" He said. "A terrible battle…Women, children … everyone was killed. There was no reason.

"The people of Ishbal opposed the military … and that was enough. I cannot atone for what I did. Not even with my life. But still I needed to do something. That's why I'm a doctor here." He explained.

He looked tormented, Morgan realized. Her eyes were filling with tears and she fought them. Now was no time to be emotional. That would just be stupid.

Marcoh looked up and Morgan's eyes found their way back to his face. The next two words out of his mouth were, "Go Home."

Morgan's eyes flashed back to Ed's. Several emotions played on his face at once but he settled on anger, or maybe frustration. His eyebrows knitted together and he slammed both hands on the table, making Morgan jump.

"I'm a State Alchemist," He said angrily. "I have a right to see your research!"

Marcoh sighed, "You're very small," he said. Morgan sweatdropped as she watched Al move with lightning speed to hold Ed back. "But you probably took the test for the abundant research funds and the numerous privileges. How foolish."

Morgan's eye twitched, is that what he thought? Did he think that about her also? She didn't really think it was fair of him to prejudge and opened her mouth to say something about it when he continued on.

"If you had been at the scene of that rebellion…"

"I know!" Ed shouted suddenly. "I know that I'm doing something stupid, alright?" he paused for a minute and his expression softened a fraction. "Still…"

As Ed was about to plead his case further, Al stepped in to intervene. "Doctor Marcoh, you treated some babies in Xenotyme five years ago, right? A baby from that time is healthy now and…"

Ed gasped suddenly and his eyes widened. Morgan and Al followed his gaze, which at the moment was at a blank wall. Before Morgan had time to ponder why Ed was staring at a blank wall, He jumped up from his seat, crossed the room and rubbed his hands over it, like he was smoothing it out.

"Brother?" Al asked, clearly wondering what Ed was doing.

"Ed," Morgan said, running her hand over her face tiredly. "What the hell are you doing?"

Ed ignored them, "Fine," They heard him mutter to himself, "I'll just do this…" Clapping, he pressed his hands to the wall. A bright blue light was emitted and the wall connected with his hands receded, leaving a gaping hole and revealing a small chest containing several vials.

"Did you just do that without a transmutation circle?" Marcoh asked suddenly.

No one answered him. Morgan watched curiously as Ed picked up a vial. It held a dark red liquid that, from where Morgan was sitting, looked a lot like the Red Water she worked on in Xenotyme with Russell and Fletcher.

It was clear that Ed was having the same thoughts as her, "Does this look like red water to you?" He asked, turning and motioning for Morgan to come over to him.

She stood wearily and took the vial that he handed her, peering at it closely. "It's clearer," Morgan said, surprised. "A lot clearer. I think it's more refined," She said, handing it back to Ed.

"Stop that!" Marcoh said, snatching the vial from Ed's hands.

"Brother!" Al said, disapproval colouring his tone. "And Morgan!"

Morgan blushed, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry," She mumbled.

Ed glared at her, nudging her in the ribs, "Don't be!" He said. His golden eyes narrowed as he made a grab for the vial again. He managed to capture it but this time Al was prepared, seizing his older brother under the arms and holding him back. "That's impolite, Ed!" He scolded.

"Let me go!" Ed yelled, flailing his arms and legs.

Suddenly, the glass vial slipped from his gloved hands and flew through the air. Four pairs of eyes watched it smash into the hard wood floor, the glass shattering into a thousand fragments. The refined red water inside splashed momentarily and then seemed to gather itself back up into a small, solid, red stone.

Ed let out a small breath that he'd been holding and Al let him out of his grasp. Morgan followed them, kneeling down beside the small stone. It looked really familiar.

"It's not liquid?" Ed asked.

"You know what this looks like?" She asked. "Like the stone the stupid fraud had in Lior." Morgan said, peering slightly closer.

"I think Morgan might be right," Al agreed.

Before Ed had time to take a closer look at the stone, the door to Marcoh's small house burst open and a man dressed in military attire quickly moved into the house. He was followed by a large heavy-set man that Morgan recognized as Brigadier-General Gran.

Without an introduction, he looked at the people present, Morgan, Ed, Al, and Doctor Marcoh and smirked. "The Philosopher's Stone," He started, his voice rough and hard and taunting. "The Astral Stone, Elixir, The Red Tincture, The Fifth Element … it has many names, and as some of them imply, it does not have to be a stone." He finished, sounding very self-satisfactory.

"Brigadier-General Gran…?" Ed started.

Marcoh scoffed suddenly, "Brigadier-General?" He repeated, smiling sarcastically. "You've received many promotions, I see."

Morgan, who was situated between Ed and Al at the moment, turned to look at Marcoh. She noticed that Ed and Al had done the same.

Brigadier-General Gran smiled sarcastically, "Crystal Alchemist," He greeted. "Hand over the Philosopher's Stone and the research data." He commanded.

Three simultaneous gasps came from Morgan, Ed and Al. "That, the Philosopher's stone?" Ed asked, not bothering to conceal his surprise.

"This was created as an experiment," Gran began to explain. "We don't know when it will reach its limit and become unstable. It's the Philosopher's Stone but at the same time, it's unstable, incomplete, and far from the real thing.

"It did amplify our abilities during the rebellion, though, and showed tremendous effect."

Morgan could imagine it in her mind, the horror of how her parents, of how Marcoh, had described it. She thought of Winry's parents and shuddered.

"Does that mean the military did research on the Philosopher's Stone a long time ago?" Al asked, excited.

"Ed's eyes were shining as well, "Although it's incomplete, it was created by human hands, which means that it's possible to create a Philosopher's Stone. How do you make it?"

"And what are you going to do after you see it, Fullmetal Alchemist?" Gran sneered in a mocking way. "The research is top secret and under my jurisdiction and you don't have permission to see the data." He finished. "Moving out!"

Morgan had ever seen Ed look so sad before; it made her angry that it was so unfair. As she opened her mouth to say something, Ed gasped and turned to his right.

Two soldiers had grabbed Marcoh. He yelled, trying to break free, but it was no use. "Let me go!" He demanded as they moved him toward the open front door. "No! No!"

Morgan abandoned her place next to Al and ran to the front door. She could still hear Marcoh begging as they loaded him into the military car. "No … please forgive me! I don't want to return there!" A small crowd was gathered outside of his house and Morgan felt a pang of pity and she felt useless again. It wasn't fair.

She felt a gentle pressure on the small of her back and she turned. Ed was moving her outside, to stand on Marcoh's porch.

She looked at Ed, who was staring not at Marcoh or the crowd but somewhere at the stairs. "Are you okay?" She asked softly.

Ed looked at her as if he'd only just realized she was there, "It's just like…" He muttered trailing off. He looked away.

Morgan stared at him, confused. Just like what? She could tell he was remembering something, but what was he remembering?

Only then did she realize how much she didn't know about the Elrics. In her seven year absence, what had they done? Other than trying the impossible? What had they been through?

What had she been though, that she hadn't told them? She grimaced as she watched the car dive away, flashing in the sun. There was quite a bit.

Suddenly, she felt a tug at her sleeve. "Morgan!" She wheeled around to face Al. "Go!"

He ran down the steps and she hastened to catch up with him. "Where's Ed?"

"He just ran off!" Al said. "That's why we need to go after him."

Morgan would have blushed if she had had time to think. "Why?" She asked quickly.

"He's chasing the car!" Al explained, as if this made perfect sense.

Morgan nodded, peering down the road. She could still see him. So she took off running. She wasn't running long before she had a stitch in her side and a sore throat from her ragged breathing. Ed was so much faster than her and she couldn't catch up with him.

She heard Al before she saw him. He caught up with her no problem, and grabbed her wrist pulling her faster.

And suddenly, they were stopping. Al still held Morgan's wrist captive, so when he stopped so did she. She skidded and overbalanced, tripping over her own feet and falling to her knees in the process.

"Sorry!" Al said, helping her up.

"It's okay," Morgan said, examining the rip in her cargo pants. "Why did we stop?"

Then she looked up.


	29. Chapter 29

Author's Notes:

Chibi-chan: -Shyly peaks around corner- Hello? Anyone there?

-Silence-

Chibi-chan: -Clears Throat- Well, if there are any readers left, I'm going to update now. I think I need to apologise first though.

Jin's Lady: I told you this was going to become a habit.

Chibi-chan: -Glares at Jin's Lady- Anyway, I'm sorry. I'm terribly disappointed in myself for not getting this chapter out sooner. I have a million valid excuses but I'll spare you from having to hear them. The best I can say is that I try to take it one day at a time when it comes to friends, school, and stories but sometimes several days attack me at once. It's not my fault, I tell you!

Jin's Lady: I think the Christmas turkey has made her a little overdramatic, yeah?

Chibi-chan: -Ignores- Moving on. I want to address a review that we recieved on out last chapter. I am _not _cutting Kaytie's parts in the story short and I like both Morgan and Kaytie equally. I know it may seem like I'm favouring Morgan a little at the moment but I promise you that I'm not. When you're writing a story, sometimes there's just a little more going on on one side than the other. Right now, Morgan's experiencing a lot in the story and it's important to the plot, as you will find out in the chapter, as was promised. You'll find later in the story, after certain events take place, it would be impossible for the story to move forward without both characters. This is a planned story, planned to the end, mind you. I'm not making it up as I go along. I've known how it's going to end since chapter one. Kaytie is a catalyst for important events that take place later in the story and the next chapter _will _have Kaytie in it.

Jin's Lady: And there's Chibi-chan's characteristic rant.

Chibi-chan: -Ignores- Anway, I've read the guesses that pertain to the last chapter... No one was dead on but some of you came really very close. Very close. **Tiggeranddash **was the closest. It does have to do with Scar. A lot to do with Scar. You'll see. **MistressOfTime1218 **was also close but came from a different angle than Tiggeranddash. Yes, it has to do with those things as well, as the events that took place lead to your guesses. So, as promised, Ed and Envy cookies to everyone who reviewed!!

Jin's Lady: -Passes them out- Also, Thank-you to everyone who reviewed for the last chapter.

Chibi-chan: Morgan, disclaimer?

Morgan: -Sigh- Why do I always get picked on? -Mumbles Angrily- Krimskii, that is Chibi-chan and Jin's Lady, do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. They do own me, Morgan, and Kaytie, and Sam, though. Please bear in mind that they are poor and are not making any money off of this fanfiction.

Chibi-chan: Thank-you, Morgan.

Jin's Lady: -Nurses Hurt Ego- Was the poor comment really necessary?

Chibi-chan: -Still Ignores- Now, we come to the end of a very long Authors' Note. I only have one thing left to say---

Jin's Lady: MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Chibi-chan: Hey! That was my line!

Jin's Lady: -Runs- Enjoy Chapter 29! Don't forget to read and review!!

* * *

Chapter 29: Facing Fears

Everything happened so fast. Morgan was frozen -- she couldn't move and as Ed glanced back at her, her eyes were wide in what was either surprise or fear. Or both.

The car that he'd been chasing had skidded unceremoniously to a stop, swerving slightly to avoid hitting the man who stood in front of it. Although he was dressed plainly in beige clothes, he had a cross-shaped scar that ran across his forehead and down below his eyes that would have made him stand out in a crowd. His eyes were hidden behind shaded glassed and above his scar, there was a shock of salt and peppered hair.

In the time it took for Morgan's eyes to widen, the scarred man placed his hand on the hood of the car. A bright red light flashed and the car erupted in an explosion. Smoke, sand, and debris from the car obscured Ed's vision. When the dust cleared, Brigadier-General Gran and Doctor Marcoh lay on the ground, unhurt.

Gran rolled to a sitting position and the scarred man advanced. "Who is that?" Ed asked aloud.

"Finally," He spoke, still advancing forward, "the Iron-Blood Alchemist, General Basque Gran."

Morgan whimpered; when Ed glanced at her he realized that she looked like she wanted to move but couldn't. She was rooted to the spot.

Ed grabbed her wrist, watching as Gran stood, chuckling and slipping his hand in his pocket. "You're timing's too bad -- just as I got my hands on this!" He pulled out the small red bead that Ed, Al, and Morgan all knew to be the Philosopher's Stone.

Before Gran had a chance to do anything with the stone, the man with the scar reacted so quickly that Ed barely had time to register what happened. His arm swung forward

and he pressed his palm to Gran's forehead.

Ed gasped, "Get away!" He yelled.

There was no time to heed his warning as Gran's head exploded, blood spurting everywhere. As Gran cried out, sinking slowly to his knees, Morgan let out a strangled cry. Gran was dead.

Ed whipped his head around to look at her and found that she had tears running down her face. Her eyes were wide and fearful and her face was so pale that it looked like it had been powdered with flour. She seemed to come to her senses slightly, trying to tear her wrist from Ed's grip. Ed tightened his grip and pulled her closer to him. "Morgan, quit it!" He said as she tried to get away from him.

Morgan's scream seemed to have attracted the attention of the scarred man momentarily. His eyes flickered toward them for a second before turning back to his original targets.

Ed had a sudden outbreak of common sense; he should run! Why was he trying to stop Morgan from running? He found that his legs were frozen stiff, like Morgan's had been earlier. This was not good. This was very, very bad.

"Crystal Alchemist, Doctor Marcoh." The man with the scar said tonelessly; Morgan squeaked in fright. "I heard you were dead." He continued. "I'll have to take special care to wash you out of this world of your transgressions."

"I see." Marcoh said, bowing his head. "Yes, go ahead. How can I protest?"

Morgan's breathing quickened; her heart was beating so hard against her ribs that she thought they might crack. Her back was pressed against Ed's chest and her heart was beating so hard that he could feel it. Her vocal cords didn't seem to want to work, either. Beyond squeaking, she couldn't make a sound.

"In the name of the Great Almighty One, thou shall perish." He reached out to placed a hand against Marcoh's forehead but Ed was too quick. He thrust Morgan toward Al and ran forward. Grabbing Marcoh's sleeve, he pulled him out of the way just in time.

Marcoh stumbled forward as he hastened to stand while Ed took off running, pulling Marcoh by his elbow behind him. "It's okay," Marcoh said. "Leave me behind."

Ed gasped for breath, "You've really gotta work on that attitude."

"Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric, you won't escape, either." The scarred man said quietly.

Morgan's tongue seemed to unglue itself from the roof of her mouth at this point. "NO!" She screamed, breaking free of Al's slack grip. Her voice was shaking and her breathing was still erratic, her face tear-stained. She took a gulp of air, her heartbeat still strangely arrhythmic. She stepped forward, stumbling over a rock. "Scar," She said shakily. "Come after me, instead."

He turned, "Morgan Shaw." He said. "We've met before and we'll meet again and I will not allow you the chance to escape."

Morgan made to step forward but Scar turned away, taking off down the way that Ed and Marcoh went.

"Morgan...?" Al asked.

Morgan screwed up her face in concentration trying to remember the layout of the town. They'd been everywhere when they were asking around about Marcoh ... there must be a way...

"This way!" Al said, grabbing her wrist and pulling her the opposite way that Ed, Marcoh, and Scar ran.

Morgan hastened to follow. Her lungs soon hurt from running, her throat was sore, and her breathing was ragged but she couldn't stop. Al skidded to a halt and Morgan, accelerating rapidly, was unable to slow down quickly enough. She tripped, tumbling into Al's metal body. A resounding clang issued off the walls of the ally they'd stopped in.

Al was busy drawing a transmutation circle on one of the brick walls as Morgan picked herself up off the ground. "Are you okay, Morgan?" Al asked, drawing the last line.

Unable to speak, Morgan nodded, wiping the dirt off her face. "Brother," She heard Al say quietly as he stuck his hand out of the opening of the ally. "In here!" He pulled them in quickly, Morgan pressed her hands to the transmutation circle that Al had drawn, and a wall slammed opposite her, closing the alleyway off from Scar. She knew it wouldn't last long but...

"Good thinking, Al, Morgan..." Ed gasped, out of breath. His hands were on his knees and both he and Marcoh were attempting to catch their breath.

Morgan stared at the wall, "We- we need to get out of here!" She said in a frightened voice.

"We need a plan," agreed Ed.

"There's no time --" Morgan started but the words never fully passed her lips. The wall that she and Al just sealed shut exploded into a thousand pieces, sending fragments flying in all directions. Recognizing the characteristic red alchemic light, Morgan knew what was happening.

She barely registered Al pushing Marcoh behind him to shield him from the blast or that Ed had pulled her close to him. She struggled against him, "Let go!"

"Morgan --!"

There wasn't time to say anything else. The four of them were face-to-face with Scar. They stood motionless for a fraction of a second then without another word, Al scooped Marcoh up and this time it was Morgan grabbing Ed's wrist and dragging him forward.

And suddenly they were stopping. Red light flashed along the side of the wall to Morgan's right, cracking it straight down the middle. The ceiling of the ally caved in and rocks blocked their path. They were trapped.

The dust cleared and Morgan stepped in front of Ed. "What are you doing?" He hissed angrily, "Get out of the way!"

"No." Morgan said. She was shocked at her own voice. It was surprisingly firm given that she was shaking violently from head to toe.

"Who in the hell are you?" Ed asked viciously, stepping up beside Morgan instead of trying to get her to move. "And what are you coming after us for?" Morgan stepped in front of him again. He was starting to get annoyed. Why the hell was she protecting him?

"If you are the creators of society, then there must also be destroyers." Scar answered.

Marcoh sighed in distress. "You can't understand, Ed! Just leave me and run!"

Ed grimaced, reaching behind him and transmuting a metal rod that had fallen with the ceiling into a sword in a flash of blue light. Al readied himself for a fight.

"No! No, you can't Ed!" Morgan cried hysterically. "He'll kill you!"

Ed looked a quizzically for a moment and she once again attracted the attention of Scar. "Morgan Shaw." He said, stating her name. He looked away toward Ed again. Morgan glared; she couldn't let Ed do this -- it was a suicide mission.

"You have a kind look in your eyes." Scar told Ed. "My brother's used to be the same -- eyes that were strong and peered into the endless distance as if he was seeing something we could not." Scar stood unsmiling at the memory and Morgan could hear her heartbeat in the moment of silence. "It was three years ago, yes?"

"Three years?" She muttered to herself, confused. It was then she realized with an unpleasant jolt that he was still speaking to Ed.

"I was glad to hear you'd given up being a State Alchemist so that I could take you off my list but now..."

"Yeah," Ed finished for him, "now. It's too bad, isn't it?"

Ed lifted his makeshift sword and started forward but Morgan hastily grabbed his arm to stop him. "What are you doing?!" He asked angrily.

"You can't fight him!" Morgan repeated. "You'll die!"

"Morgan Shaw," Scar stated for the third time. "I hear that you're now called the Aquatic Alchemist now. I had hoped that your previous encounter with me had dissuaded you from this dream but it appears I was incorrect."

"What's he talking about, Morgan?" Ed asked.

Morgan ignored him, pushing him behind her. Unfortunately, she once again lost the ability to use speech. She stayed silent, shaking so hard that she could barely keep a grip on Ed's sleeve to stop him from charging forward. She needed to keep Scar talking. She needed to stall.

"You remember me," She rasped, meaning it to sound sarcastic. It sounded pathetic.

Scar looked at her indifferently, "I remember a little girl who stood frozen on the sidelines, petrified with fear. I remember you."

_September 14, 1914_

_Morgan rose sullenly bed that morning. She felt disgusting. The previous night, she was up until three in the morning finishing a mock report on chimeras for her parents. She noticed that the red numbers of her alarm clock read __9:00am__. The report had been tedious and Morgan loathed the subject but it didn't surprise her that that's what her parents wanted her to focus on; after all it was their area of expertise. _

_The famous Entity-Binding Alchemist and Molding Alchemist - Tracy and Dave Shaw. You couldn't really get any bigger than that unless you counted people like Shou Tucker - her parents were friends with him until he decided to create a talking chimera by combining his daughter and dog - or the Flame Alchemist, Colonel Roy Mustang. _

_Sighing, Morgan glanced across the room to where her younger sister Celina lay sleeping. They were a lot alike personality wise but when it came to looking the same, no one would guess that they were related. Celina looked like __Tracy__ while Morgan took after Dave. Her mom always said that Celina would have no trouble finding a husband one day. Morgan would probably have to work a little harder though. She was a plain Jane through and through._

_Tugging at her short dull hair, Morgan stripped from her pyjamas and shrugged on a fuzzy blue sweater and a long jean skirt that covered her ankles._

_She was careful not to wake Celina as she tip-toed out of her room and padded down the stairs -- Morgan loved her house immensely. Even though she and Celina shared a room, there really wasn't an invasion of privacy. Celina, if she wasn't on a "play date" with one of her friends, was either in the play room across the hall or learning the very basics of alchemy whenever Sam was in town or her parents weren't too busy to teach her._

_Sam..._

_Morgan sighed, shaking herself. She was being stupid again. They'd moved away from Risembool when Morgan was seven. When they moved away, they'd not only left their old house behind, with Morgan's blue room, but they'd left Sam behind as well. _

_Sam had lived with their family for as long as Morgan could remember. When they moved, Sam didn't come with them; she moved out. As far as Morgan currently knew, she was living in Central teaching alchemy to kids._

_It was slightly like losing as sister, except she lost her teacher, too._

_Quickly fixing herself a mug of coffee and a quick breakfast, Morgan remembered that it was Saturday, which was probably the reason that her parents had let her sleep in. And, she remembered, why Celina wasn't at school. Unlike with Morgan, her parents decided that it was unnecessary for Celina to be home schooled. _

_It wasn't surprising that her parents weren't around his early in the morning. After all, they'd moved to Eastern to better their careers so they'd naturally be at Eastern HQ._

_Flipping the newspaper open, Morgan began to read. Apparently, a castle out over sea had collapsed. It had something to do with the Fullmetal Alchemist. She didn't bother to read any more, rolling her eyes and continuing on to the next article. She didn't actually know who the Fullmetal Alchemist was and she didn't want to know. Her parents set too much in store by him. They figured, if he could pass the Alchemy exam at the age of twelve, then she should have no problem passing at fourteen, in one years time. How wrong they were. _

_The theory part of learning was great, she could memorize and understand anything ... it was putting it into practice that was the hard part. She could understand, say the composition of table salt, Sodium chloride, perfectly. NaCl, one Sodium ion attached to one Chlorine ion that eventually formed a crystal in a one to one ratio, if it wasn't in an aqueous solution. If it was in an aqueous solution, it dissociated and the Sodium and Chlorine ions would be floating around free in the water. That wasn't the hard part. If someone were to give her the correct amount of Sodium and Chlorine, she could recite to them how to create table salt. She wouldn't actually be able to do it herself ... well she could create something that simple but that wasn't likely to get her State license. _

_Sighing again, Morgan folded the paper up and gave her two cats, Blacky, who was white, and Whitey, who was black, fresh water and food. She trudged back upstairs to brush her teeth and wake Celina. _

_The rest of the day passed fairly quickly. Although this was Morgan's day off from Alchemy, she did have a fair amount of chores to do. As she did the laundry and cleaned the bathroom, she hummed to herself. Celina was on another play date. She was sleeping over this time so Morgan didn't have to worry about picking her up. _

_Her parents arrived home at about dinner time. "Hi Honey," __Tracy__ said, glancing at Morgan, who was reading at the dining room table. "Hey, Morgan." Her dad said, smiling slightly. Morgan smiled back; although they worked weekends, they were always in better moods when they came home. _

_"What's for dinner?" She said, marking her place in the book and putting it aside. _

_"Stir-fry." Her mom answered. "Will you cut the vegetables?" She asked. _

_Morgan nodded, washing her hands and reaching for a knife. She and her mom worked in a comfortable silence while her dad made his way into the living room._

_"How was your day?" Morgan asked. _

_"Good," Her mom answered, pushing her blonde hair out of her eyes. "How was yours?"_

_"Fine." Morgan said. "I caught up on some homework and reading."_

_Her mom smiled, "You work so hard; we're proud of you, you know."_

_"I know..."_

_Dinner at the Shaw household was usually a quiet affair. It was comfortable silence though. As Morgan cleared the dinner table, a crack of thunder made her jump and she dropped the glass she was holding. It fell to the floor, shattering into a thousand shards upon coming in contact with the linoleum. "Shoot," Morgan muttered under her breath and she knelt down to pick up all of the big pieces. _

_"What happened?" Her dad asked, poking his head through the door. _

_"The thunder scared me and I dropped a glass." Morgan explained._

_Dave sighed, shaking his head. "Mind you don't get cut cleaning it up." He warned. Morgan nodded as he disappeared back into their living room. _

_It was dull work, picking up glass, Morgan thought. She could be doing so many more useful things. She fetched the broom and swept the tiny fragments up, hoping she didn't miss any. She couldn't be sure but she thought she did a good job. _

_She replaced the broom in their closet and made her way out of the kitchen and into the living room. She took her seat in the chair and pulled her book off the shelf where she replaced it before dinner. _

_Morgan's mom and dad spoke conversationally as Morgan read, already more than halfway through the book although she just started today. She could hear the steady pounding of rain on their roof. It was accompanied by an occasional crack of thunder which was followed by flash of lightning. _

_Suddenly, over the quiet murmuring of her parents, there was a sharp rap at their front door. "Dave, could you get that?" Morgan heard her mother ask._

_As she flipped the page in her book, she watched her dad walk across the living room. "Who would be calling at this time?" Morgan wondered aloud. "It's, like, almost eight."_

_"I don't know," Her mom said curiously. She got to her feet and made to follow Dave through to the kitchen when they both heard something that made Morgan's heart jump to her throat. _

_"Who are you?" Dave shouted loudly. He sounded frustrated. "What do you --?"_

_There was a bright flash of red light that was reflected onto the walls of the living room. _

_"Go upstairs." __Tracy__ breathed, looking in Morgan's direction. "Now."_

_Morgan hesitated a moment and then moved quickly, passing through the rest of the living room. She gripped the handrail as she took the stairs two at a time. _

_"Tracy Shaw, also known as the Entity-Binding Alchemist. Tonight you will pay for your sins." A cold, steady voice from behind her spoke._

_Morgan froze in her tracks. She was at the upper part of the stairs and she was gripping the handrail so hard that her knuckles were white. Turning slowly, she shrank to the walls, pressing herself against it and making herself as small as possible. _

_The man who had spoken with such a terrifying voice was standing on the floor below where the living room met the kitchen. His skin was dark and his eyes were dark red. He was very clearly Ishbalan. A shock of pepper coloured hair did nothing to hide his scar that stretched from the top of his forehead to below his eyes._

_Morgan's heart thudded painfully hard in her chest as she watched her mother pull her short, blonde hair into a small ponytail; she was preparing herself for a fight. _

_"You're the Ishbalan who's been going around murdering State Alchemists, aren't you?" __Tracy__ asked, her voice deadly calm. "Is that what you did to Dave?"_

_The man with the scar didn't react to her words as he stepped forward. "Your specialty is chimeras, isn't it." It wasn't a question. The man had done his research. "The most depraved form of alchemy." _

_Tracy__ scoffed as she pushed her sleeves up to her elbows. "That's the way science is." She said, smiling slightly, as if it was her own private joke. "Sacrifices must be made in the pursuit of knowledge."_

_"It is that pursuit of knowledge that brought you death." The scarred man said, still unsmiling. _

_Morgan tried not to make any sound but she couldn't help but squeak as she wiped her tears from her face. She was helpless; she couldn't do anything._

_The man with the scar lunged at __Tracy__, his right arm stretched out as if to caress her cheek. Tracy ducked at the exact right moment, moving out of his path. "Gotta be quicker than that." She said. _

_Peering through the bars of the handrail of the stairs, Morgan didn't see what exactly happened next. They were fighting and then the next moment they weren't. She heard __Tracy__ yelp -- she'd backed into the coffee table. In a flash it was over. _

_"In the name of the Great Almighty One, thou shall perish." The man with the scar said without emotion. _

_Tracy, who lay sprawled on the coffee table, didn't have time to react. The man pressed the palm of his right hand to her forehead and a bright red light flashed in the room. It was like a current of red electricity passed through __Tracy__'s body. And there was blood - a lot of blood. It stained the carpet and splashed the glass of the table._

_The Ishbalan turned to look at the staircase. "Take heed, young Morgan Shaw." He said and Morgan's eyes widened as she stood, frozen in her spot. "May this be a warning to you." He turned and walked calmly through the living room and into the kitchen. She watched as he decended the stairs to the front door. She heard the door slam shut. _

_A numb feeling spread throughout her body. What was she supposed to do? She stood up and ran down the stairs. Fumbling for the telephone, she dialed the number she knew by heart. The only person she could think of calling was Sam. _

_As the phone rang, she stared at the blood spilled over the carpet and tears spilled over her face._

Morgan shifted her feet and set her jaw. No one recounted the story and no one answered Ed's question. "Regardless," Scar continued, "You will both perish in the name of the Almighty One."

Before Morgan had any time to react whatsoever, Ed lunged at Scar, his makeshift sword reaching forward. Scar dodged, "Too slow." He said. He reached past the sword and just as he was about to press his palm to Ed's arm, Al jumped between them. As Scar pressed his hand to Al's armour, Ed fell to the ground with a thud.

"Ed..." Morgan whimpered. She didn't dare move. Torn between not losing anyone else to Scar and saving her own life, she couldn't decide what to do. Her brain was telling her to fight back, to save Ed, but her legs seemed to know that even if she was to try she wouldn't succeed.

As Al stood up, Morgan saw that there was a large crack in the arm of his amour. "Don't mistake your fortune," Scar said. "That alchemy was designed for human flesh and that's why you escaped with only a dent. This time, stay out of this. My only enemies are State Alchemists and those who stand between."

"But why?" Ed asked as he rose to a standing position. "Why are you after us?!"

"Alchemists are those who take things in their natural form and convert them into something grotesque." Scar explained, disgust laced deep in his voice. "An huberus, the profane god, creator of all, claiming that they have a better design. I come as a right hand, an agent of God," He lifted his right hand and Morgan watched in horror. "to carry out his judgments." Scar finished, looking toward Marcoh, where he still sat on the ground, either unwilling or unable to get up.

Al stepped forward then, "You know, I'm an alchemist too. I may not have the state certification but ..."

"Why do you seek death?" Scar asked angrily.

"I don't." Al answered steadily. "But you mentioned that you had an older brother too and then you should understand why I can't just stand by and let my brother get killed ... even you should ..."

"I do!" Scar cut him off. "I understand exactly how if feels to watch your brother murdered before your eyes, when you can't do an thing." Morgan watched in horror as Scar's face contorted with rage. "In fact," He said, "maybe I'll show Ed!"

Morgan's breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened. As Ed realized what Scar was implying, he darted forward, thrusting his sword at Scar.

"I told you, you're too slow." Scar said as he grabbed Ed's arm.

"N-no!" Morgan muttered, stumbling forward at the exact moment that Ed flew backward. She whipped her head around to see him starting to stand. Amazed, her eyes found the rip in his red coat where Scar had touched him. It revealed shiny automail and Morgan breathed a very short sigh of relief.

"Automail..." Scar said as he examined his hand. "So your right arm begets nothing but destruction also."

Ed looked angry, "Don't you start with that," He snarled. "You and I are nothing alike!" He ran his left hand over his automail arm and in a flash of blue alchemic light, it metal transformed into a sharp blade.

Very suddenly, as Ed was about to launch an attack on Scar, an explosion rocked the ground. Dust and rock debris flew in all directions. Morgan shielded her face with her arm and flattened herself against the wall. What the hell...?

Bright yellow flashes of what looked like lightning shot by her at an alarming speed. The target was Scar. He dodged them somewhat clumsily, taken off guard by this new development.

As the dust finally cleared, the four in the ally way were all facing the direction from which the lightning-like alchemy had come. A tall and sturdy figure stepped into view and Morgan recognized him at once, having seen him briefly only earlier that day.

"Major Armstrong!" She breathed, a small amount of relief making its way into her chest. She didn't allow herself to relax. They weren't through yet. Glancing at Ed to make sure he'd also had the flash of recognition, she realized that he had. He didn't appear to be any less confused though.

"Armstrong," He muttered, Morgan being able to make out his words through reading his lips. She knew he's learned the name from her. "Why are ...?" His question trailed off, unfinished.

"Have you come for Doctor Marcoh?!" Al asked, stepping in front of a bewildered Marcoh.

Armstrong walked steadily, moving past Al. As he reached Ed's side, he glanced at Morgan and placed a hand on Ed's shoulder. "I'm sorry I'm late." He said in a deep baritone voice. "The lieutenant Colonel ordered me to tail you for your protection."

"What?" Morgan asked, beating Ed to the chase. "Hughes, you mean, right?"

Armstrong merely nodded and refocused his attention on Scar. "I heard you on my way in here." He stated. "You say you're an agent of God? Then why don't you try passing judgment on me?" He brought his right arm up to his chest, proudly displaying the metal that encased his hand and wrist, a transmutation circle etched into its surface. "That's Alex Louise Armstrong -- the Strong-Arm Alchemist!"

Scar looked momentarily shocked and then he smirked, "What a righteous day this is turning into." He said smugly. "That you would come here and save me the tribulations of finding you. Blessed God, full of grace--"

"Don't pray just yet," Armstrong cut him off. "You're facing the technique that's been passed down the Armstrong line for generations -- that's hardly a blessing." He lifted a slab of rock above his head and launched it into the air. Bring his fist back and swinging it forward again, the spikes of the metal casing made impact with the stone. Upon contact, a flash of bright yellow light lit up the ally and was headed straight for Scar at a frighteningly fast velocity.

Scar dodged it easily, moving to the side. "Next shot!" Armstrong yelled out, punching the ground. On impact, the same bright light traveled in a straight line toward its target, horrifyingly sharp spikes shooting up from the ground as it went.

It was closer this time. Scar dodged them, but just barely. He brought is right arm around and red light flashed and as he pressed his palm to the rock, it crumbled.

Morgan shook herself violently out of her stupor as her common sense returned to her. She shot a look at Ed and Al and motioned for them to get going. "Let's move!" She mouthed soundlessly.

Ed's eyes widened and he grabbed Marcoh's sleeve as he nodded. Running at top speed, they made for the make-shift exit that Armstrong had created.

Only when they reached the safety of the trees and grass outside did they allow themselves to rest. Marcoh collapsed in a heap on the ground panting heavily and Morgan, who was leaned against a tree, wiped the sweat off her forehead. Ed was bent double, catching his breath. Al alone was unaffected.

Morgan opened her eyes, watching Ed reach into his pocket and draw out a small, red stone. "You dropped this." He said, handing it to Marcoh. Morgan sighed in understanding.

"Isn't this what you're after?" Marcoh asked. "Didn't you think about taking in and leaving?"

"Of course," Ed answered in a tired voice. "And a younger me would have taken it and walked away without a second thought. But I can't forget the faces of all those people that you helped that we saw today. You used that in their treatments, right?"

Morgan closed her eyes, smiling slightly as she sank into a sitting position, supported by the trunk of the tree.

"That stone belongs to them." Ed said simply. "And so to you." He said and Morgan could hear the smile in his voice.

"You ready?" Ed asked, glancing at all parties. Receiving nods all around, he continued. "Then let's head out. We need to find some place where the military and that killer won't find you."

"You think we can escape?" Marcoh asked, slightly baffled.

Ed smirked, "You've got legs, don't you?" He asked sarcastically. "Let's put 'em to work!"

Al and Morgan nodded and as Ed looked at Morgan, their eyes met. It was mutual -- they needed to talk later. It was later that Morgan feared.

She'd come face to face with her greatest fear: Scar -- no, losing everything that was important to her. Again. She had by no means defeated and she knew that she'd fear it until the day she died. It had almost happened once - no, twice - already, and she wasn't going to take it sitting down. Next time, she was damn well going to do something about it.


	30. Chapter 30

Authors' Note:

Chibi-chan: Um, Hi. Well, it's been, like almost four months since we've updated. ... Yeah. I'm not even sure what to say anymore. You've heard all the valid excuses... My dog ate my chapter?

Jin's Lady: Wow, Chibi-chan, that's sad for even you.

Chibi-chan: Shut up, you. You've been no help lately. Anyway, school's hard, university applications suck, but Florida was awesome. I actually got the majority of this chapter done there. Thank Heaven for March break and Easter break, I tell you. Just for the record, I'd like to tell all that I have started chapter 31 already, which is good. It's an important chapter.

Jin's Lady: What, no rant this time?

Chibi-chan: Nope. Anywho, for updates on what's going on with this story and others, chack our profile. So, moving on ... who would like to do the disclaimer? Kaytie?

Kaytie: What? Oh, fine. Fullmetal Alchemist does not belong to Chibi-chan or Jin's Lady, collectively known as Krimskii, but Morgan, Sam, and I do. Are you happy now?

Jin's Lady: I suppose it'll have to suffice. By the way, Kaytie's back!

Chibi-chan: Now, Jin's Lady, we've talked about this, you're not supposed to spoil the story for the readers --

Jins' Lady: -Ignores- Thank-you to all those who reviewed! _93 _reviews! We could hardly believe it. Thank you so much. Well, Happy reading!

Chibi-chan: Don't forget to read and review!

* * *

Chapter 30: Stepping Up

Kaytie lay on her bed, her eyes glazed over as she stared at the ceiling. _Scar..._ She mulled over the name. Before it meant nothing to her but now she couldn't get it out of her mind. Ironically, he murdered State Alchemists with alchemy, claiming that they need to pay for their sins. He destroyed them from the inside, stopping at the second stage of alchemy, destruction. And he was after Ed, the Fullmetal Alchemist.

She knew that titles could bring about enemies (God knew hers did - look at where she landed herself!) but she never thought Morgan would be caught up in that mess.

She rolled over onto her side, feeling sick at the thought. Kaytie didn't really care about Ed, it was Al and Morgan that she was worried about. More so Morgan than Al; at least she knew Al could properly defend himself.

And she couldn't do anything.

That was the worst part. Kaytie was completely helpless. She knew where they were, thanks to Lust, but she'd been forbidden to go. The thought of disobeying had, of course, crossed her mind, but she decided against that thought. The repercussions of doing so might not be worth it in the end.

The fact that she was completely helpless and that she had nothing to do was not boding well with her. Her long hair, up in a messy bun was coming loose, and knotted, and messy. Her stomach kept clenching and she had the worst headache. Kaytie could never remember being more stressed out than she was at the moment. She kept dwelling on the worst possible outcome of the situation and still didn't have a solution to the problem.

She needed to do _something_, she decided, _anything._ But what? She asked herself as she sat up, pushed herself off the bed and made her way over to the window. She didn't even know that the window was there when she first as introduced to Lior, Kaytie reflected, leaning gently on the sill. So much had changed since then. She had to worry about Morgan's life as well as her own, now. She found out that her mother, of all people, was a State Alchemist at one point in her life.

Her mother ... Kaytie still owed her a visit. Suddenly, she stood up straight and, struck by sudden inspiration, she headed for the door. If she owed her mother a visit, her mother was going to get a visit.

~*~*~*~

When Morgan felt the rain drops on her face, she thought her day couldn't get any worse. Run until you feel like your lungs are about to burst? Pfft, that's nothing! Get tracked down and almost killed by your worst nightmare? She could take it. What's a little rain on top of that? She thought to herself sarcastically.

Soon, she, Ed, Al, and Marcoh were soaked to the bone. Their main and most pressing goal at the moment was to get as far away from the afore mentioned worst nightmare, namely Scar.

Watching as Ed peered around a corner, Morgan shifted her weight slightly. She brought up the rear of the party. Ed and Marcoh were in the front and Al came shortly after that. As Ed double checked that the coast was clear, they made their way across the street.

A few people sat under an awning in front of the restaurant, out of the rain. Other than them and a black dog sitting obediently by its owner, they were the only people around. The only sounds to be heard was the continual clinking of Al's armour and the steady pitter-patter of rain.

"Brother, what are we going to do now?" Al asked, turning to Ed.

Ed sighed, "I don't know." He said, addressing everyone. "Let's just get some distance from the guy with the glasses."

"He's known as Scar." Morgan said before she could stop herself.

Everyone glanced at her questioningly but before anyone had time to ask any questions, something else caught their attention.

The obedient dog was barking, loudly. Morgan turned. A large, black military truck was passing through the street. "Get down." Ed hissed at Al and Marcoh. He pulled his automail arm to his chest and Morgan made sure her face wasn't visible to them as Marcoh and Al knelt behind two large potted plants.

As they passed, Morgan could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She said a silent prayer that they wouldn't be discovered. As the trucks speed down the street, Al and Marcoh hesitantly stood.

"Mam," Ed said, double checking to see that the military vehicles were out of sight and turning to a nearby waitress. "Have you got a back door?"

She blinked, looking confused for a moment. "Yes, right this way," She said, tucking her notepad in the pocket of her apron. She led the four of them into the cafe and through to the back of the kitchen. As they left through the back door and stepped into the rain again, the waitress gave them and odd look. Morgan brushed it off; she'd learned not so recently that just being with Ed and Al may cause her to get her fair share of odd looks.

Behind the cafe was an alleyway. The rain poured just as valiantly behind the restaurant as in front and Morgan found her hair and clothes sticking to her skin again.

"What are we going to do now?" She asked. While they were out of sight for the moment, they could only stay so for so long.

"We need to find somewhere where Marcoh could be safe." Ed answered.

"What about Eastern Command and the Colonel?" Al suggested, referring to Roy Mustang.

"Ah, there's no way we can get there." Ed replied. "With the Brigadier-General showing up like that, I get the sense that not even Mustang could protect Marcoh right now."

"Oh, yeah." Al agreed. "All those people from Central are there - maybe you're right."

Morgan sighed, "Why does life have to be so complicated?" She muttered to herself.

She looked up when she heard Marcoh sigh, "People from Central have been deployed here?" He asked.

Ed smirked, "Just the Furher and his entourage, yeah." He answered, sounding slightly apologetic.

"I don't understand," Marcoh went on, "Is this for me?"

"No, no," Al assured, "It's nothing like that. Don't worry."

As the quartet reached the end of the alleyway, the sounds of children playing met Morgan's ears. Around the corner, about six or seven children were playing various innocent games in the mud, giving no heed to the rain. She let a smile touch her lips and was reminded first of her own sister, Celina, and then of Miguel's daughter, Alicia. She sighed as she turned to follow Ed; things had gotten a lot more complicated since then.

"I can't do this."

Morgan turned, not quite able to believe her ears. Marcoh couldn't do this?

"I've run away from this long enough. I won't do it now. I don't care if that man kills me." He paused and Morgan, Ed, and Al stood there, slightly nonplussed. Morgan thought that he looked kind of out of it. "How can I?" Marcoh continued, "When it's something I deserve?"

After a pregnant pause, Ed spoke up. "I don't understand. Why do you deserve death just because he's from Ishbal?"

Morgan wondered just how fast Ed's mind worked some times. Somehow, he's managed to pull the reason behind Marcoh's suicidal behaviour in the span of about a minute. She didn't even come close to making that connection. Her brain was still working out what his statements meant.

"The rebellion, right?" Al said, filling in some of the gap. "Ed told me Mustang was sad about that too. But why? Ishbal started that war for independence. They lost lives but so did the military."

"If all of us sought revenge every time we lost a war, there'd be no end to it. It'd be a cycle without a point." Ed supplied bitterly. He was also right, though.

"You're not listening, that was no war; it was a massacre." Marcoh stated.

Morgan's eyebrows knitted together. If she was lost before it was nothing compared to where she found herself now.

So, he began to explain. None of them interrupted him.

"The people of Ishbal are an ethnic tribe in the East. They worship Ishbala as the one and only creator. They draw from a different history so they see the world through a different lens.

"Our world is Sulphurs and Nitrogens, science and math; we believe everything can be explained with numbers and equivalent exchange is our sacred cannon. But to them, Alchemy is a perversion of the world God has given us, the Devil's miracle, corrupting man by putting us in Ishbala's place. As a result of this collision of views, resistance movements would crop up from time to time."

Morgan was struck by these words. They've never seemed more true. She was pushed by her mother, her father, Sam to be good enough. She was trained to look at a problem first scientifically. Alchemy could solve everything, if you just knew how to look at the problem. She needed to think logically, in numbers. Emotions were pushed to the side when figuring out a problem. Although she'd never quite mastered this, even now, the first thing that always came to her mind was how she could fix a particular problem with alchemy. It was always the first solution.

Morgan watched Marcoh as he watched the children play. She wondered what exactly he was seeing or remembering. She watched as a small girl was hit in the face with a splash of mud. "Hey! What'd you do that for?" The little girl yelled before taking off running.

Marcoh grimaced but continued, "One day during a house inspection, an officer in the military accidentally shot and killed an Ishbalan child. The incident became a rally. Massive riots and uprisings broke out all over the region.

"It was too much, too fast. The military couldn't control its soldiers in the chaos. More fuel for the fire. It escalated into a full scale rebellion that lasted seven years until the Furher had had enough. He sent in the problem solvers: the State Alchemists."

Morgan leaned against a nearby building wall as Marcoh relayed their the military's secret weapons. Alchemic amplifiers ...the incomplete Philosopher's Stone and more than one.

There was a pause in which only the rain and the laughter of the children were heard.

"How did the Ishbalan's respond to your weapon?" Ed asked.

"They didn't."

"What?" Al asked, amazed.

"But how could they just ... not respond?" Morgan asked, feeling stupid.

"Every gathering of resistance that the State Alchemists were sent to ... they were all wiped out in a single night."

Now Morgan definitely didn't want to imagine what he was seeing in his mind, what he was remembering. She felt sick to her stomach, hating that for all the good alchemy had the potential to do, it could also create havoc and chaos. Her own imagination was running a little wild at the moment and she had to concentrate to pull herself back to the conversation.

Morgan was brought back to herself when one of the children in the playground slipped. "Ah!" He cried, his voice strained with tears. "My ankle!"

Marcoh started forward before anyone could move, knowing exactly what to do. "Let me help you, son." He said gently, reaching into his pocket for the small, red stone that would be the solution. He held it close to the boy's leg and it glowed a dim red.

Morgan's eyes were wide. Though she'd worked with the Red Water, the Incomplete Philosopher's Stone's precursor, a bit in Xenotyme, she was still slightly captivated by it.

"During the war there were doctors that would treat the wounded," Marcoh explained. "It didn't matter what side you were on, Ishbalan or the State, if you were in need of help, they would treat you."

He smiled at the small boy, "How does that feel?" He asked.

The boy moved his ankle slightly, looking surprised as he didn't feel any pain. He laughed in amazement, jumping to his feet. "Thanks!" He said sincerely as he turned and ran off with his friends.

"How did he do that?" Morgan heard one of them ask. She smiled slightly.

"However, they were casualties, too." It took Morgan a moment to realize that Marcoh had returned to the topic of the Ishbalan war and she listened with rapt attention. "There were doctors that gave everything in the name of saving lives, and it was my soul that carried the sin. Mustang promised to keep quiet if I ran away, so I left with the Philosopher's Stones and all the research that explained how to create them. But I acted much to late; the people of Ishbal had largely been exterminated and I heard that our military only let a handful survive.

"But that's not a reason for him to come after you." Ed argued.

Marcoh scoffed bitterly, "He wants revenge, what could be more legitimate?"

Ed sighed, "He's dragging people in who had nothing to do with it. How can you talk about legitimacy? He's a fraud! He's on a tirade of personal vengeance and he hides behind this excuse of God's will so he can claim it's noble."

Morgan opened her mouth to say something, changed her mind, and closed it again. She shook her head roughly. This man had taken her parents away from her. There were no justifications.

"Still," Al piped up. "If someone took you away from me, Brother, I think I might do the same thing. Isn't that Equivalent Exchange?"

"No!" Ed exclaimed loudly. Morgan winced. "That's not how the principle works! Haven't you learned that yet? Destroying lives doesn't bring lives back! We all just need to live and be content while we can..."

There were a few moments of silence following this statement and Morgan sighed, pressing the palm of her hand to her eyes as Ed fixed the crack in Al's armor caused by Scar.

Morgan dropped her hand. "Hey," Ed said. "Why don't you let us hide you in our hometown. It's just three days on a train from here, right?" He asked, glancing at Morgan, who smiled grimly, and at Al.

"Would that be difficult?" Al asked.

"Not at all!" Ed smiled. "We have friends there," He explained to Marcoh. "The Rockbells - they make automail. I'm sure they'll be --"

As Ed cut off his sentence, Morgan noticed the horrified look playing on Marcoh's face. "Rockbells..." He said to himself. He sounded terrified. "No, I can't," He said, sounding detached. "I can't go there." He was backing up. "I'm sorry." After a split second of hesitation, he turned on his heel and ran.

"Doctor Marcoh!" Al called out. "What-?"

The boys were struck dumb for a moment. Sighing and shaking her head, Morgan ran after him. "Wait!" She called out. She could hear Ed and Al's footsteps behind her as they followed Marcoh around a corner. It was a dead end and the four of them slowed to a stop, Morgan stumbling slightly.

"It's your call," Ed said. "We don't have to go anywhere you don't trust; we're not trying to steal your research."

"No, Ed." Marcoh insisted, taking a step back. "There are other reasons I can't go there with you ... I'm a stained man..."

Morgan's head shot up as she heard three distinct, distant bangs. They sounded like gunshots. "What-?"

Her question never made it past her lips. Everyone looked up as the sound of footsteps were heard. Morgan gasped involuntarily as Scar showed himself on the balcony of a nearby building, clearly fleeing from the gunshots. He grasped the railing and jumped.

To Morgan, it seemed like he fell in slow motion. She couldn't believe this was happening again; where was the justice? Why was it always her?

As he landed on the ground with a small thump of his shoes connecting with the concrete, his gaze flickered from Ed and Al, to Morgan, to Marcoh. He seemed to be making a decision. After a brief moment, he turned to his left and lunged for Marcoh.

Al was quicker. He caught Scar's arm, the arm that had torn so many others to pieces.

"This time I have an attack just for you!" Scar snarled, throwing Al's hand off his arm and swiping at Al's side. The metal shred to fragments, flying through the air and revealing the hollow inside of the armor. Morgan's hands flew to her mouth and she tried to keep herself from screaming.

Al toppled forward, catching himself as he hit the ground with a clang.

"AL!" Ed shouted, staggering forward almost at once. Scar dodged every attack with ease. As Ed punched forward with his automail arm, Scar caught his wrist.

"NO!" Morgan cried. She wasn't quick enough. With a blast of red light that Morgan knew so well, the Ed's automail arm shattered, small, sharp fragments of metal flying through the air. Ed was knocked off his feet, flat on his back on the ground. Morgan rushed to him.

"Go away!" He said wildly. "Get out of here!"

"Like Hell!" Morgan responded. She set her jaw; she could do this. She stood and placed herself purposely between Scar, her worst nightmare, the murderer of her parents, and Ed, her childhood best friend. She'd be damned if she just abandoned him.

"Aquatic Alchemist, Morgan Shaw, if you know what's good for you, you'll get out of the way." Scar said in the same detached tone that made Morgan's skin crawl. "You're only rushing into your death."

Morgan's heart was beating a tattoo against her rib cage and her breathing came in short, rapid bursts. Maybe that's what she wanted. Maybe -

"Morgan! Run!"

It was Al. She ignored him.

"You can't kill him." Morgan said. "I won't let you."

Scar laughed and it made Morgan's skin prickle with anger. "Stand out of the way or you shall perish in the name of the Almighty One."

Ed was trying to get to his feet. He moved to his knees and pushed Morgan out of the way. "I said go!" He yelled in a strained voice. "How stupid are you? Go!"

"Shut up, Ed." Morgan said, weakly.

Scar advanced forward and Morgan was sure that he was about to place his palm to her forehead. He didn't. Using his left arm, he pushed her roughly to the side. Morgan wasn't expecting it; she stumbled into the wall and fell to her knees.

Scar was standing over Ed. "I will allow you one last chance to pray." Scar said, looking at Ed with indifference.

Morgan struggled to her feet.

"Forget it," Ed said, looking exhausted and worried. "I don't believe - stopped a long time ago."

Morgan tried to catch her breath. Smashing into the hard brick wall had knocked the wind out of her.

"I only ask that you spare Al. He has nothing to do with this - he's not with the State." Ed sounded like he was begging.

Morgan needed to intervene. Soon.

Scar considered for a moment. "I will not harm your brother."

"No!" Al shouted in a strangled voice, immobile from his place some ten feet away on the ground. "Brother, you can't! You said it yourself! A life doesn't equal a life! Get up, run!"

Ed ignored him.

"In the name of the Almighty One, thou sha--"

Now.

Morgan ran forward knocking Scar's outstretched right arm away from Ed. "You can't!" She said defiantly.

"I told you not to interfere!" Scar said. He grabbed Morgan's left wrist and spun her around, pulling her arm up over her head and down toward the ground. Morgan heard a sickening crack and she cried out, falling to her knees. Sharp, shooting pains shot through her shoulder and down her arm and back. She couldn't move it.

"Morgan!" Ed and Al shouted.

"I'm fine," She forced out. Then she looked at Ed. "Why aren't you running, you idiot?!"

As Scar advanced on Ed and Morgan again, he stopped, suddenly clutching his right arm in pain. Morgan managed to turn herself around and she saw that Marcoh had taken out his incomplete Philosopher's Stone. As it glowed an eerie red, he held it forward and it looked like he was trying to ward Scar off with it.

Scar's arm was reacting. As he rolled up his sleeve, Morgan saw the clear pattern of a very elaborate, very strange transmutation circle. She guessed that it was usually black but, reacting to the Stone, it was glowing the same red.

She needed to-- she had to-- Morgan tried to get to her feet but she overbalanced and fell. Pain shot through her left side as she landed on her shoulder. She couldn't catch herself with her arm. Struggling with only one arm, she got to her knees again.

As she fell, Morgan must have missed something important. Several things happened all at once; Scar gave a short cry, still clutching his right arm and he tore past Morgan and Ed. Morgan noticed that a small crowd of military officers including Roy Mustang, Riza Hawkeye, and Maes Hughes had congregated at the entrance to the alleyway. They tried to stop him but Scar would have none of it. Morgan wasn't one hundred percent sure what happened next. There was a lot of noise and a lot of dust. When it finally cleared, there was a crater in the ground and Scar had disappeared.

It took her a moment to process it. _He was gone._ Ed was crawling toward Al. She didn't follow; it was their conversation to have. She tried to get up. Morgan almost fell twice but the third time she managed to get to her feet. In a daze, she walked toward the most comforting person that she could find. When she reached Hughes, he hugged her, she buried her face in his shoulder, and cried.

~*~*~*~

It was an hour before Kaytie managed to run into one of the homunculi. Unfortunately it was Gluttony. She hesitantly tried to ask him where she could find Envy. His reply was ... less then encouraging and mostly unintelligent. It was very relieving for her when she was tapped on the shoulder.

Turning, she expected to see Envy but instead was greeted with the face of a less than impressed Lust. "Er..."

"Do you always find ways to get yourself into trouble?" Lust drawled.

Kaytie cleared her throat and glared. "No," She said coldly. "I was looking for Envy."

Lust stared at her suspiciously for a moment, "You've been spending too much time together lately," she stated. "I can answer whatever you were going to ask him."

Kaytie, slightly taken aback, wondered what she would have said to Lust at this point if she'd been seeking Envy out solely for his company. "I was wondering about possibly ... leaving."

"Leaving?" Lust repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"I mean," Kaytie said, composing herself, "I want to pay my mother a visit. Everything that I've learned will, of course, remain confidential. Is this a possibility?"

Lust studied her, "I was under the impression that your mother wasn't a concern to you."

Kaytie chose her next words carefully. She hadn't anticipated having to converse with Lust about this and so needed to speak more formally. With Envy, she was a little freer with speaking what she thought.

"She wasn't. Recently, during my brief and ultimately useless stay with Dante, I found out that she was keeping a rather large secret from me and the rest of the world. It's important that I speak to her about this. I need to clear a few issues up."

"I shall need to speak with Pride about this." Lust said, not unkindly. "Is there anything else you wanted to speak about?"

Actually, Kaytie thought, It would be nice to see Envy. There was no way she'd ever admit that out loud, though. Especially to Lust.


	31. Chapter 31

Authors' Note:

Jin's Lady: Hello all! Chibi-chan is currently in hiding seeing as it's taken her so long to update and she fears the wrath of her dear, dear readers.

Chibi-chan: -Dryly- I'm right here, you idiot.

Jin's Lady: Sorry. I must've missed you. After all, you're so short.

Chibi-chan: You know, you think you're funny but you're not. Anyway, I'm out of school now which means more time to write. This is a good thing. I may be able to update a little more frequently now that the only things I have to worry about are moving to university and my new job. Did I tell you guys? I was accepted into the BioMedical Major! –Really Excited-

Jin's Lady: Wow. Our little Chibi-chan, all grown up.

Chibi-chan: Oh, shut it. Anyway, you know what I was thinking about the other day? I've been writing this story since I was in grade nine and I just graduated high school two weeks ago. This means that _Life, Love, Lost_ has been a constant all throughout my high school experience. That means that you readers have been able to see how my writing's changed over the years. Is it much different?

Jin's Lady: She got a little sentimental on you, eh?

Chibi-chan: -Rolls Eyes- Anyway, just one more thing on the agenda. It's a bit of shameless advertising. I recently wrote my very first original short story and it would mean a lot to me if any readers were interested in it. Right now, it's up on under my username **Writing2Death**. It's called _In My World... _Please check it out. The URL is _http://www(dot)fictionpress(dot)com/s/2689921/1/In_My_World_. Just remove the (dot) and replace it with an actual dot.

Jin's Lady: Now onto the disclaimer. Krimskii, Jin's Lady and Chibi-chan, do not own Fullmetal Alchemist but they do own Morgan and Kaytie and Sam and this story. Have a nice day.

Chibi-chan: Thank-you to those who reviewed the last chapter. Now, without further stalling, we present to you Chapter 31: You've Got to Give a Little More. Please read, review, and enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 31: You've Got to Give a Little More

Kaytie got the clearance but she still hadn't seen Envy. She was going back to Risembool. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. It was where everything started. Everything.

She pushed these thoughts out of her mind. It didn't matter, it didn't matter. And it didn't, she thought. It didn't matter anymore. She dug out the bag that held her few possessions and threw it carelessly onto her mattress. Then she dug through it to make sure she had everything.

Kaytie tugged her long, red hair up into a high ponytail and smoothed out her black outfit. Where the Hell was Envy?!

The plan was that she and she only would go to Risembool. This was a mark of trust, Kaytie knew. If she screwed it up, she would be in a lot of trouble. She didn't want to think about what type of punishment she'd have to endure if she messed up. After a certain time period, Envy would meet her, disguised as Sano. She, once again, wasn't sure how she felt about this.

Fully ready to go, Kaytie hesitated. She was reluctant to leave without seeing Envy. She didn't dare ask Lust, though. She didn't need the insults, however subtle. Deciding that she'd wait twenty more minutes, Kaytie sat back down on her bed and proceeded to stare blankly at the ceiling.

* * *

Roy, Riza, and Hughes took the trio back to Eastern Headquarters. Morgan's mind went in a very vague circle: _He's gone, they know, he's gone, they know. _

Her shoulder throbbed dully, every once and awhile sending sharp, shooting pains down the length of her arm. Morgan had yet to go to the hospital but she was almost certain that Scar had dislocated her shoulder. At that moment, it was set in a sling, held tightly to her chest. She still couldn't move it.

"What are we going to do now?" Morgan asked, her voice cracking from disuse.

Ed, who was sitting between her and Al, sighed. He was missing his right automail arm, which had been shattered into fragments by Scar. "First things first, I guess. We need to get you to the hospital, unless you'd rather Armstrong try to relocated your shoulder." Ed said. Morgan shuddered at the thought.

"But after they fix your arm, we're going back to Risembool," added Al, who was sitting in a cardboard box, his metal body shredded and torn from Scar's attack. "When you were with Havoc setting your arm in a sling, the general agreement was that Major Armstrong would accompany us, as Ed isn't much use without his arm."

Morgan nodded, the fact that she'd get to see Winry again registering dully somewhere in the back of her mind. Ed, on the other hand, did not seem happy about this. Morgan heard him mumble something along the lines of, "...sounds an awful lot like babysitting to me..."

As Morgan shifted her weight slightly, her shoulder throbbed. "Er..." She said hesitantly, swallowing with difficulty. "I really don't mean to complain but do you know generally what time we'll be at the hospital? It-it hurts..."

Ed's eyebrows knit together briefly before he got up and marched over to the door of Mustang's office. He stuck his head out the doorframe. "Oi! Mustang! Hurry it up, Morgan's in pain, here!"

"Thanks," Morgan muttered, grimacing.

Twenty minutes and a very bumpy and extremely uncomfortable car ride later and Morgan was sitting in an empty doctor's office with Hughes. In the end, Mustang had take so long that Hugheshad consented to bringing her to the hospital. Ed and Al had remained behind, in their room.

"Thanks for doing this," Morgan said gratefully. Though her shoulder was still dislocated for the moment, the pain has lessened since the nurse had given her a painkiller. Now she only felt out of it and very, very tired.

"No problem," Hughes answered, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "After what you three have been through tonight..." He trailed off and Morgan stayed silent. "Listen, Morgan, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about and since we're both here..."

Morgan looked up at him. "Okay." She said.

Hughes cleared his throat and looked thoughtful for a moment. "Ever since you've been off with the Ed and Al ... No, okay, scratch that. Let me start over. You know Sam's been looking for you, don't you?" Morgan nodded, avoiding his eyes. "She's worried about you. So am I and so is Roy. Morgan, I know that meeting Scar again tonight brought up some painful things but you mustn't do anything rash, okay?"

Morgan rolled her eyes, "As if I'd, like, go looking for him or something..." Morgan said, scoffing. "Don't worry, I won't do that."

Hughes was silent for a minute, "I didn't really think that you would," He sighed. "But Ed and Al get into a lot of dangerous tings. Ever since you've been off with them do you think maybe you've been putting other, more important things off?"

Morgan had the grace to look shocked, "Like what?"

"Since when have you avoided Sam?" He asked pointedly. Morgan didn't answer. "Or when have you last seen Celina? Do you have any idea how much that little girl misses you?"

Morgan sighed, rubbing her temples, "I'm sorry," She said. "I know I have some important things to take care of but what am I supposed to do?"

"Take care of them?" Hughes suggested gently.

Morgan sighed, "I ... will see Sam when I see her." She answered steadily. "But you bring up a good point about Celina. I will call my grandmother."

Hughes nodded, "Good. Now, I'm guessing from the state of shock that everyone was in tonight that you haven't really discussed the death of your parents with Ed and Al."

Morgan shook her head, "I don't like talking about it." She said, hoping he'd drop the subject. "I'll talk to them tonight though, alright?"

"Is that a promise?" Hughes asked.

Morgan nodded. "I always have you and Sam to talk to as well, if it ever gets too hard," she said sleepily. The painkillers were beginning to make her feel groggy.

"Yep," Hughes agreed, "We're adults that you can always lean on."

As that note ended, the door opened and a frazzled but kind looking doctor walked in. "Hello, what seems to be the problem?"

"I think I dislocated my shoulder." Morgan said, trying to wake herself up.

"Hm," He walked around behind her. "Can you move it?"

"No."

He brought his hands to the top of her shoulder and applied gentle pressure. Morgan cried out in pain. "Sorry," he murmured. He manipulated her shoulder carefully, hearing a slight grinding sound. "Yep, definitely dislocated. We're going to have to set it."

"Will it hurt?" Morgan asked childishly.

"Probably," The doctor admitted.

He sat her up straight and tenderly straightened her arm, "Ready?" Then, without waiting for an answer, he popped her shoulder back into place. Morgan screamed, slumping forward, breathing hard.

* * *

Shifting from foot to foot, Kaytie stepped off the train. It looked the same. Exactly. The train station was almost deserted and fields beyond fields stretched out, surrounding it.

Swallowing with some difficulty, Kaytie gathered her one and only bag and started walking. It was cool out and Kaytie drew her sweater around her. She passed many familiar spots on her way to her mother's. Along with familiar places came familiar faces.

Several people she once knew shouted out, recognizing her as she passed them working on the fields of their farms. Kaytie winced and reluctantly waved back. If she could have erased her past in Risembool, she would have.

Finally, finally, after what seemed like hours but was only about fifteen minutes, Kaytie approached her mother's house. So many fond childhood memories, she thought sarcastically.

The house itself wasn't offensive. It was like any other house in Risembool; quiet, unassuming, and neutral. It was a regular farm house that anyone could have lived in. But it wasn't anyone who lived in it. It was Kaytie's parents and it was this stand-alone reason that she hated it with every fiber of her being.

She didn't knock. Instead, Kaytie marched straight up to the house and entered without warning. It was quiet and she let out a breath that she didn't realize she'd been holding.

This looked the same, too. The carpet, a royal blue colour, was freshly vacuumed, the four pairs of shoes were neatly placed by the door, the - wait. Kaytie did a double take. Why were there four pairs of shoes?

Pondering this, she slipped off her heavy black boots and wandered through the hall. The hard wood floor felt cold against her feet. She passed her parent's room; she passed Miguel's old room, undoubtedly empty now; she passed the spare white room that Morgan had stayed in; she passed Joey's old room that no one dared enter anymore; and she stopped in front of a very familiar door. The door was charred black as if burned and had twelve open locks bolted to it.

"- the hell did they open the locks?" Kaytie wondered to herself, whispering despite being alone.

She pushed the door open and stepped inside. Most of the room was burned as well. Kaytie remembered, three years ago, setting fire to her room just before she left. She was surprised that this much survived. Her old bedspread was even still on her bed. She let her fingers trail across the surface of her ruined dresser as she knelt to the floor. Carefully counting three floorboards from the wall, Kaytie made sure that the one she was looking for was still loose. She gently pried it from its spot.

"What?" Kaytie wondered aloud. "Where are they?" Her eyebrows knit together in confusion as she reached into the crevasse to feel around for the three books she knew weren't there. How could someone have known where she'd once hidden her diaries?

Before she could ponder anymore she heard a creaking sound right outside of her room. She slipped the board back into place and stood spinning around. A small young girl with knotted black hair and green eyes - the same green eyes Kaytie possessed - stared back at her.

"Hi!" She said brightly. "Are you Auntie Kaytie?"

* * *

Morgan passed out in the car on the way back to the Elric's room. The painkillers the nurse had given her had made her feel groggy and when the opportunity presented itself, she was completely knocked out.

She didn't stir as Hughes parked the car. He sighed, shaking her awake gently. "Morgan, come on. Wake up." She didn't move and her steady breathing didn't change. "Please don't make me carry you," He whined. He sighed as she made a small sound.

"Hughes?" She said tiredly, stretching as she sat up.

He nodded, "Yeah. I was afraid I was going to have to carry you."

Morgan rolled her eyes, "Thanks for everything," She said gratefully.

"No problem." He smiled.

When Morgan entered the room, she noticed that Ed and Al were still up. "Were you waiting for me?" She asked.

Ed, who was previously flipping through a book, looked up and smiled in relief, "Took long enough."

Morgan rolled her eyes, "Shut up," She yawned.

"Your shoulder's okay now?" Al asked. "Was it dislocated?"

"Yeah," Morgan said. "The doctor set it, though. He said I should take it easy for a while."

"That shouldn't be too hard, where we're going." Ed said, sounding slightly bitter.

"Oh right, Risembool." Morgan said vaguely, wandering over to her bag and pulling out the nearest pair of pyjamas. "Armstrong's the one who's accompanying us, right?"

"Yeah," Al answered, still sitting in the cardboard box.

After Morgan changed, she curled up under the blanket on her couch. "I think that we should talk." She said.

Ed set his book down. "About Scar?" He asked.

Morgan sighed. "I guess so... What exactly do you want to know?"

"Well," Ed said, turning around fully from where he was sitting on his bed so that he was facing her. "What did Scar mean when he said that he remembered you? What did he mean when he said that he hoped that you had reconsidered becoming a State Alchemist?"

Morgan gave a big sigh. She decided to just come out and say it.

"He killed my parents."

Ed paused for a moment, his expression softening, "I figured." he said sadly. "I mean, how else would you know each other?"

Morgan shrugged, "I know I should have told you guys it's just - ... I don't like talking about it."

"We didn't tell you the truth about what we did right away, either." Al said quietly.

Morgan nodded, though she didn't feel it was the same thing.

"How did it happen?" Ed asked.

Morgan swallowed with difficulty and braced herself. She knew that she had to tell them. "Someone knocked on the door." She started softly, looking down at her hands. "My dad answered it. There was some yelling and a red flash. Mom told me to run upstairs and I started to but his voice distracted me. He said that she needed to pay for her sins. They fought but she wasn't quick enough. He cornered her against the coffee table and killed her. There was a lot of blood ... so much blood. He warned me that I shouldn't become a State Alchemist."

"What did you do then?" Al asked.

"I called Sam and she told me to call for an ambulance and then to call Hughes, who lived nearby." Morgan answered. "I stayed with them for a few days before I went with Sam. I asked her to train me but I didn't tell her that I was planning on taking the exam. That's why she'd looking for me. She found out and isn't really all that happy about it. Anyway, we trained for eight months and then she sent me back to Central. I stayed with Hughes and his family for two months and he tutored me in military practice when he wasn't busy. Then I took the exam, passed, and they stationed me in Eastern, which is how I met Roy Mustang and ended up living with Kaytie."

She felt like she just revealed her entire life's story and suddenly felt more exhausted than she already was. She felt the couch dip beside her and noticed that Ed had sat down. Without worrying about embarrassment, she leaned on him, her head resting on his shoulder. Awkwardly, he wrapped an arm around her. She didn't even notice falling asleep.

* * *

Kaytie's mouth fell open slightly. She realized she was surprised. "Um, Y-yes, I'm Kaytie. Who are you?"

The little girl grinned brightly, "I'm Alicia! Daddy! Come see!" She yelled out the door.

"Alicia?" Came a voice Kaytie almost recognized. "How many times do I have to tell you not to play in Aunt Kaytie's room?"

"But -"

Before Alicia could get the sentence out, a head peeked around the doorframe. There was silence.

"Hi," Kaytie said, breaking it. She cleared her throat. "It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

"Yeah," Miguel said, taking three steps forward and enveloping his sister in a hug. "What in the world are you doing here?"

Kaytie smiled despite herself, "Just felt like it." She said. While it wasn't entirely true, she didn't feel guilty for lying. Sometimes, every once in awhile, it's better to just give.

They broke the embrace and Kaytie was still smiling. It had been a really long time since she'd felt like this. "You haven't changed." She said.

"You have!" Miguel exclaimed, holding her at arms length. "You've grown so much..."

"Well, it's been quite a few years..." Kaytie trailed off. Miguel had moved away from home several years before she ran away and it had been three years since then.

"Yeah," Miguel said. "I haven't seen you since you were, what? Eight, Nine?"

Kaytie nodded as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of her ruined room and into the light of the kitchen. Kaytie glanced out the window and noticed that the late sun of the afternoon had faded into evening.

"Hey! Wait for me!" A small voice said and she heard the pitter-patter of footsteps following them.

It was then as they sat the table that Kaytie remembered Alicia. She turned toward her brother, "You went and had a daughter and didn't tell me?!" She accused suddenly.

Miguel looked slightly ashamed, "Sorry," He said. "Kaytie, meet your niece, Alicia."

Alicia was still grinning and Kaytie found herself picking the small girl up and setting her in her lap. "Hi Alicia," She said.

"Hi, Auntie Kaytie."

"Who was the mother?" Kaytie asked, looking from Alicia's smiling face to Miguel's suddenly grim expression.

"Her name was Theresa and she died six months ago now."

Kaytie bit her lip, "Sorry." She said, subconsciously gripping Alicia tighter. "Is that why you're here?"

Miguel nodded. There was a small silence which was broken as Miguel asked, "How's Morgan doing?"

"Fine, I think." Kaytie lied. "Did you meet her when she stayed here?"

Miguel nodded again. "She's a sweet kid. Really hardworking."

"Yeah," Kaytie agreed, smiling vaguely. "She tries."

"I bet you're just so excited to see Mom and Dad." He said, running a hand through his already messy hair.

"Oh yeah," Kaytie echoed sarcastically. As she said this, the sound of the front door opening was heard. It was accompanied by two voices. One of which Kaytie would always know. Always.

She set Alicia on the ground and spun her chair around to face the entrance. As her mother climbed the three short stairs to the kitchen, she looked up. Elizabeth Krimskii's face was priceless.

Kaytie smiled viciously, "Hi, Mom."


	32. Chapter 32

Authors' Note:

Chibi-chan: OMG! What is this? An update within reasonable time? Someone pinch me!

Jin's Lady: -Pinches Chibi-chan-

Chibi-chan: Ouch! I was kidding!

Jin's Lady: -Shrugs-

Chibi-chan: -Nursing newly formed bruise- Yes. It is an update. It's a bit of a shorter chapter but it's the next few that are somewhat important. And no Kaytie in this chapter but she dominates the next one, so no worries there.

Jin's Lady: Yep. Anywho, onto the disclaimer. Armstrong, would you like to -?

Armstrong: Yes! The art of saying disclaimers has been passed down the Armstrong line for generations! Chibi-chan and Jin's Lady, AKA Krimskii, do not own Fullmetal Alchemist but they do own Morgan and Kaytie! -Is showered in small, pink stars-

Jin's Lady: ... Right. Moving on. Thank-you to all those who reviewed for the last chapter. We could not believe it when we saw that there were 100 there. Thanks, guys, really :). And thank-you to **Arelissa**, who was our _100th reviewer!!_ Reviews equal heart. And, now without further ado, Chapter 32!

Chibi-chan: Please read, review, and enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 32: A Slight Diversion

"Yeah?" She called back, not bothering to move from her current place on the sofa, reading one of her mother's research journals.

"Come here!"

Morgan sighed, grumbling under her breath as she marked her page and set the ageing book aside. She sat up and stretched, slowly making her way into the kitchen. They, that is to say, she, Ed, and Al, were located in Risembool at Winry's house. After the initial Winry trying to kill Ed with her wrench episode, everything had gone somewhat smoothly. It was nice to have a short break from looking death in the face. Especially since Morgan was still trying to sort out her thoughts about Scar... She pushed that line of thought out of her head, not really wanting to explore it any further.

"What is it?" She asked, entering the kitchen to find Ed holding a stack of papers in his hand. She noticed that it was still not fixed. They were waiting on Winry to finish creating an automail arm from scratch, since Ed's was destroyed beyond repair.

She sighed, replaying yesterday's events in her mind.

* * *

Morgan sighed as she slumped into the train seat. This was not how she imagined the trip from Eastern to Risembool. In her imagination, there was a little bit of room to move around. Ed was literally squished against the window, Armstrong taking up three-quarters of the seat that they were given. Morgan, thankfully, at least had a seat to herself but that really didn't mean anything. Just looking at Ed plastered to the window was making her uncomfortable. And poor Al, she thought. Having no where else to put him, he was in with the luggage, specifically the sheep. Morgan winced at the thought.

Suddenly there was a banging on the train window. Morgan looked up to see Hughes, smiling down at them. He saluted lightly with his right hand. "Hey." He greeted. "I come bringing messages from Roy - "

"You mean the Colonel?" Ed interrupted rudely.

Morgan sighed. "Who else would he be taking about Ed?" She asked impatiently. He glared at her. She rolled her eyes, "What was it?" She asked Hughes.

"Well, Ed's was 'Don't die under my command. You're enough of a pain without the paperwork'. That was it."

Before Morgan could ask what her message was Ed responded back - "Tell him 'Fine. There's no way I'm dying before you do, you morally bankrupt Colonel with a God-complex.'" He said, scowling. Hughes chuckled.

"Do I have a message?" Morgan asked.

Hughes nodded. "He said, 'Don't make me send Sam after you. If you die, she'll kill me. So don't die'. That was it."

Morgan rolled her eyes. "I'll keep that in mind." She said.

"And Morgan?" Hughes said. "Call you grandmother, yeah?"

Ed looked between the pair of them and Morgan pursed her lips. Then she sighed, "Yeah." She agreed.

"Oh yeah," Ed chipped in again. "Tell him to take this gorilla of an escort off our hands."

"Easy now," Hughes responded.

Ed didn't respond, instead staring stubbornly in the other direction.

Hughes glanced at Morgan, who shrugged. Then he lifted his hand to his forehead in a gesture of exasperation. "Look, Ed. I don't know what Marcoh said to upset you but I have some info that you might find helpful. We thought that Morgan's parents were the first victims of Scar..." He trailed off, once again glancing at Morgan for reaction. Her lips were pursed and she looked dead serious. He continued, "But, three years ago we found the remains of a young girl who'd been turned into a chimera. It was identical to the way Scar's been murdering people."

"Nina..." Ed whispered, horrified. Scar had killed Nina. He couldn't believe it. If Scar had killed her, then ... He smirked unexpectedly, "Thanks," He said, looking at Hughes. "That does help. Now I can take him on."

Hughes smiled slightly, standing up straight. "Also," He said, as if adding a side note, "You might want to go after Morgan."

As Ed looked around, he noticed that she wasn't in her seat. A bewildered expression on his face, he looked back at Hughes.

"She left when I was talking about Nina." He explained quietly, sighing. "Well, I guess I'll see you in Central."

Ed nodded, looking slightly distracted.

"I'll apply for permission to browse the First Branch of the library without restrictions." Both Major Armstrong and Ed leaned forward, bringing their hands to their foreheads.

"Don't mind the left-handed salute." Ed said.

Hughes chucked and stepped back as the train started moving.

---------------------------------------

Morgan wandered the hallways of the train aimlessly. It's not like she hadn't expected it. Scar was going to be the topic of conversation for a while to come now. She just couldn't believe that Nina, little Nina, had been the very first victim, as far as anyone could tell.

She's only met the little girl a handful of times. Her parents had been good friends with her father, Shou Tucker before his fall from grace when he combined his daughter and his dog to avoid losing his state license. He and her parents had something in common - their love of chimeras.

Why would Nina be one of Scar's victims anyway? She was just a little girl. She didn't even know any Alchemy.

Morgan frowned. Why were things so confusing all the time -?

"Hey," She heard a voice next to her. She turned to see Ed, his hands in his pockets, looking at the floor.

"Hi," Morgan responded, folding her arms over her chest. "So, what did I miss?"

"Nothing much," Ed answered. "Hughes is an idiot, as usual."

Morgan smiled slightly, "Well, yes." She admitted. "He usually is."

There was an awkward pause and Morgan leaned against the wall, playing with a loose string on her shirt.

"Listen," Ed began. "There's something you should know about Marcoh."

"What's that?" Morgan asked.

"Well, as he was leaving with Mustang yesterday, he dropped this beside me." Ed fished into his pocket and brought out a crumpled looking slip of paper.

"What is it?" Morgan asked, confused as he handed it to her. He gestured for her to read it. Morgan un-scrunched the tiny slip of paper and read:

_Central Library_

_First Branch_

And then under it, almost like an after thought:

_The truth behind truths_

"And this is where we need to look?" Morgan said, peering at the paper closer. "To find his research?"

Ed nodded, "This is where we're headed as soon as Winry fixes me up and I can fix Al."

"What does he mean, 'The truth behind truths'?"

Taking the piece of paper back from her, Ed shrugged. "No idea." He answered, shoving it back in his pocket.

"All right," Morgan sighed heavily. "We've really got our work cut out for us, don't we?"

Ed nodded, "Of Course." He grinned.

---------------------------------------

It was about an hour later that Ed disappeared, claiming that he needed to check on Al. Really, Morgan knew, he just wanted to get away from Armstrong. Morgan could definitely sympathize.

Armstrong couldn't seem to go ten minutes without mentioning the "Armstrong Family Tradition" and after awhile, it got a little bit repetitive. Also, there was the fact that Ed barely had an inch of room where he was sitting next to Major Armstrong. Morgan felt sorry for him but not sorry enough to switch places.

Not ten minutes later, Ed was running back toward them. "Major problem," He said quickly and urgently, grabbing his red coat. "They mistook Al for someone else's cargo and dropped him at the last stop!"

Morgan groaned, "No!"

"Yes!" Ed said back.

Ed was pulling the window open when Major Armstrong said, "We'll turn around at the next station."

"Are you crazy?" Ed said loudly, already halfway out the window, "I can't wait that long!"

Armstrong tugged at the bottom of Ed's pants, "Yes you can."

"Will you get off my back?!" Ed said angrily.

Armstrong sighed heavily, "It is important that you calm down, Edward Elric."

"Ed, come on." Morgan pleaded, trying to keep the peace. She didn't have the energy for such tense situations. "Al's not stupid. The next stops not that far away. And besides, who's going to pick up empty armour?"

Ed considered for a moment and then slowly retreated back through the window frame. "Fine." He relented.

He was silent and moody for the rest of the trip.

When they finally returned to the next station nearly an hour later, it was raining. The three of them trudged inside where they met a guard dressed in a blue uniform.

Ed cut straight to the chase, "Have you seen a suit of armour? It should have been dropped off about an hour ago as cargo from a train."

The guard looked mildly surprised and Morgan sighed, wishing that Ed had a little more tact. "Yes." He answered. "He left not too long ago."

"What do you mean he ran off? He wouldn't have done that!" Ed said before anyone else could say anything.

"The armour looks something like this. Are you sure that's what you saw?" Armstrong asked, holding up a sketch pad. One look and Morgan saw a rough rendering of Al. He clearly had some artistic talent and she was reminded of Kaytie.

The guard nodded, "Yeah. You're quite a talented artist, there, sir."

"The ability's been passed down the Armstrong line for generations - "

Ed was outraged, "How can you act so casual?"

"Oh come on, Ed!" Morgan called as he made for the door.

He turned, glaring at her and she shut her mouth.

"It's too dangerous." Armstrong said, catching Ed by the hood of his red jacket. "We'll wait here."

"None of you understand us! We don't operate like you!" Ed snarled.

"What does that mean?" The Major asked.

"No, Ed - " Morgan tried, knowing exactly what was going through Ed's mind now.

He ignored her. "Dr. Marcoh told us the truth. We know what all of you did in Ishbal!"

Armstrong dropped his hold on Ed's jacket like he'd been stung and Ed, seeing the opportunity, took off out the door.

There was silence and the poor guard looked bewildered and completely confused. "So..." He said hesitantly, "Will you be waiting here?"

"For a little while, yes." Armstrong answered once he came to himself slightly.

Morgan, feeling in the way, went to sit outside. She hadn't known Ed was feeling that way. Some of the things Marcoh had said were a lot less than pleasant but it was a war, she reminded herself at the time.

Her eyes misted with tears and she used her fist to wipe them away. Her dad had gone to Ishbal. When she was seven, shortly after they'd moved. Her mom had been terrified at the time, thinking that they'd send her as well. Then where would Morgan and Celina have been? He came back though, Morgan reminded herself. She knew that Winry and her parents hadn't been quite so lucky.

She heard the door open from behind were she was leaning against the railing. "Hi," She said, turning around.

The Major Armstrong smiled slightly, "Hello, Morgan Shaw."

"I never did get to thank you for saving our necks with Scar." She said, playing with the sleeve of her sweater. "So thank-you."

"Think nothing of it." Armstrong said. Morgan could tell that something was on his mind and she had a pretty good idea what it was.

"I don't think like that, you know." She offered quietly.

Armstrong nodded, "You wouldn't. You're father..."

"Yeah." Morgan bowed her head, studying the contours of the wooden railing. "We - Ed, Al, and I - haven't talked about it yet. About what Marcoh said, I mean. I didn't know -"

He cut her off, "That's all right."

And Morgan smiled.

It wasn't until the end of the day that Major Armstrong and Morgan left the train station in search of the brothers. The rain had stopped, thankfully, and the sun was setting when, up the road, they saw them.

" - or was he coming for something else?" Ed was asking as they got closer.

Smiling vaguely at Morgan, Armstrong reached forward and lifted Al right off the cart that Ed was pulling him on. Wondering about the difference, Ed glanced back.

"We were worried about you." Morgan said, tilting her head to the right.

Al looked down at them, his armour clinking, "It's my fault."

But Morgan couldn't look away from Ed - he looked crushed and guilty. The Major seemed to have noticed as well, "What's wrong?" He asked.

He, too, was looking at Armstrong. His next words caused a smile to spread across Morgan's lips. "I'm sorry, Major. About earlier, what I said."

And Armstrong sighed, looking slightly relieved.

Then they heard it. The low whistle of a train departing.

"Is that - ?" Morgan asked.

"Our train!" Armstrong exclaimed. "If we don't catch it we'll have to wait until noon tomorrow." As if this was a full explanation, he proceeded to lift Morgan up onto his back where she was left clinging to his neck and he picked Ed up under his left arm, all the while not putting Al down.

"What are you doing?!" Ed protested incredulously.

"Time to sprint!" He said determinedly and he set off running down the road.

Morgan squeaked and her grip tightened slightly.

"This method of short distance running has been passed down the Armstrong line for generations!" He boasted.

Morgan shot an exasperated look toward Ed. "Does he ever shut up?" She mouthed.

Ed just shook his head, grinning slightly.

* * *

Morgan shook her head, ridding herself temporarily of the memory. Ed and Al seemed to make so many things more complicated than they should have been.

She came into the kitchen, "What is it?" She asked, leaning against the doorframe.

Ed was holding a stack of envelopes in his hand and she assumed it to be the mail. "There's something here for you." He answered, picking one out of the stack and handing it to her.

Confused, Morgan looked it over. The envelope was white and sealed with fancy script that had Winry's address on it and Morgan's name. Then she paled. She recognized that writing. Tearing the envelope open, she began to read. "Oh, damn it all." She cursed when she finished.

"What?" Ed asked, watching her the entire time.

Morgan closed her eyes, passing a hand over her face tiredly. "How do you feel about meeting my grandmother?"


	33. Chapter 33

Authors' Note:

Chibi-chan: Hi, all! We're back! We're alive!

Jin's Lady: Speak for yourself! -Dies-

Sawah: Hiiiiii!

Chibi-i-chan: -Looks at Sarah- Um, Hi. Would you like to do the disclaimer later?

Sawah: -Nods frantically-

Chibi-chan: Er... alright. Just... sit there for now. While I do my authors note.

Sawah: -Looks at Jin's Lady- Shouldn't we - ?

Chibi-chan: Nope. She's fine. Moving on... -CoughCough- Um, so, as an explaination for my horrendous lack of updates, I just started university. Yes, it's stressful. Yes, there's a lot of work. Yes, oh God, yes, Chemistry is death. I'm a science student so there's a lot of work. I'm busy all the time. I've been trying, I promise. That's really all I can say.

Sawah: Disclaimer now?

Jin's Lady: -Looks up- Doesn't anyone care that I've died?

Chibi-chan: -Ignores- Yes, disclaimer now.

Sawah: Unless Ed and Al start walking down the streets of Toronto, Krimskii (Chibi-chan and Jin's Lady) don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of its characters. ... but on a related note, it would really cool if there was a machine that could bring fictional characters to life so that we could stalk them... So, if anyone owns a mach--

Chibi-chan: _Thank-you, Sawah! _That will be enough...

Sawah: But - Fine. They do own this story, though.

Chibi-chan: I think that's it. Thank-you to those who reviewed last chapter!

Jin's Lady: -Attempts to get up- Read, Review, Enjoy -Dies-

* * *

Chapter 33 : Turning the Tables

_That conversation did_ not _go over well,_ Kaytie tought as she planted herself in the middle of her ruined room. Basically, she cornered her mother. Miguel fled the room like the coward he was and her mother had turned the conversation back on Kaytie, like she was so good at doing.

"Hey, little sis." A voice said. Kaytie glanced up to see Miguel peeking around the doorframe of her room. "Why the long face?"

Kaytie glared, "You totally deserted me, you bastard."

Miguel shrugged, "I have to live with her. Could you imagine if I got on her bad side?" He shuddered at the thought.

"It doesn't matter, I guess." Kaytie said. "We will have that conversation one way or another before I leave. It's important."

Miguel looked thoughtful as he lowered himself to the floor beside her. "I don't suppose the information I have could be of any use to you?"

"And what information do you have?" Kaytie asked in boredom, not expecting anything useful.

Miguel made a show of rolling his eyes, "You forget that I was born ten years before you. Mom still practiced alchemy when I was really little. I can still remember bits and pieces here and there."

Kaytie sat bolt upright and glared at her brother feircely. "_What?_ And you never told me this, why?"

Miguel sighed, "It was a topic that we just didn't talk about, unless you wanted to be skinned alive, that is."

"So, what?" Kaytie said, trying to fit the pieces of the puzzel together. "You knew that our mother, Elizabeth Krimskii, was at one point a State Alchemist, the very thing that she dispises?"

Miguel shook his head, "Didn't know that much." He said. "What I know is that she loved alchemy when I was young. Then something happened. I really don't know what it was and I'm not about to ask. I just know that we don't talk about it."

"Well," Kaytie said, flopping back to her original position of lying in the middle of her floor, "Now the question is, what exactly happened to make her hate alchemy? And why doesn't she talk about it?"

Miguel grimaced, "That is the question." He agreed.

* * *

She slept in her bed that night. It was uncomfortable and hard and smelled like fire. Kaytie did not sleep well.

There was something about Risembool, about her house, that gave her nightmares. When she awoke, she could feel tears on her face but she couldn't remember what she dreamed about.

And she awoke with a start. Something dark was looming above her.

"Did you miss me that much, Princess?"

And immediately, her heart went into overdrive. "What the hell are you doing here?" She hissed at him, the voice she knew so well.

"Well," Envy said, "Thought I'd pay you a visit."

"And you thought the best way to do that was at three o'clock in the morning, standing over me, waiting for me to wake up and have a heart attack?"

Envy rolled his eyes, "You humans are so fragile."

"Indeed," Kaytie muttered sarcastically, sitting up and pulling the covers to better cover her.

Envy decided, for some unfathomable reason, to stretch out on her mattress. "Talked to your mother yet?"

Kaytie's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, "That's none of your business, you prat."

"So no, then."

"Shut up."

Envy sat up and pushed his spiky green hair out of his face, "Look, Princess. You're purpose is to help us in getting the pipsqueak, right?"

"Right." Kaytie said, unsure of where this conversation was going. She was starting to wonder whether she was coherent enough at three in the morning to follow it.

"And how's that going so far?" He asked, as if he was playing along with her game. It was beginning to piss her off.

"Unwell, because the people I work for decide, I don't know, that I'm not trustworthy enough to tell their plans to? I'm really not sure what use I can be to you in this if I'm kept out of the loop." Kaytie answered.

"You've yet to prove your loyalty." Envy said. "That is why you're not let in on the plans. That is why everything you do is my business."

"Fine." Kaytie said through gritted teeth. "No, I have tried to talk to Mother but it's increasingly difficult when she keeps turning the conversation around."

"Is it not possible to attain the information you seek in another place?"

Kaytie pursed her lips, thinking of the conversation with Miguel earlier that day. "Maybe." She admitted. "Why, do you know something?"

"Maybe."

"Let's hear it, then." Kaytie said, spreading her arms in a gesture to show that she was waiting.

"You said I'm going to tell you?" Envy said, smirking.

"You know, I want to rip your smirk off sometimes. You know that, don't you?" Kaytie found herself saying.

Envy just smirked wider. "What books did you find in Dante's library?"

Not seeing the significance in this question, Kaytie rolled her eyes. "I read one by my mother." She said. "And a textbook but I can't remember who it was by. Something Knox."

"Tell me, Princess," Envy said, leaning very close to Kaytie's ear. She could feel his breath. "Do you know your mother's maiden name?"

* * *

Now this was an interesting development.

More than interesting. As Kaytie slowly pieced the pieces of the puzzel together, things were starting to make sense. When she'd been in Dante's library, there had been shelves and shelves full of books written by Elizabeth Knox. And that must have been why she was so reminded of her mother when she'd read the one. Because Elizabeth Krimskii and Elizabeth Knox were one and the same.

Actually, Kaytie was half surprised and half annoyed that she hadn't made the connection earlier. Also that Envy was the one to point it out to her.

And the other problem was that instead of actually answering any questions, this just created new ones. To go along with what made her hate alchemy and why she doesn't talk about it, Kaytie had about a dozen new little problems flitting around her head. Why did she write under her maiden name? Why, if she was so famous, had no one realized that Elizabeth Krimskii was really Elizabeth Knox in disguise? Or that the infamous Biohazardous Alchemist was her daugher? Actually, what was her mother's old state name? she wondered. She had a lot to wonder about.

Including when exactly Envy was going to stop poking her side.

Apparently, she'd spoken this thought aloud, seeing as Envy responded, "Never."

"You're a pain in the ass."

"Thank-you."

* * *

It was no surprise when Kaytie awoke to find Envy nowhere to be seen. She was beginning to get used to it. He'd disappear for awhile, come back. Rinse and repeat. Of course, she still had no idea where he disappeared to and she doubted that she'd ever actually find out. Some how, it had stopped bothering her.

She hauled herself out of bed. This was the moment she realized that she felt like crap. Between being intensely curious about her mother's past and Envy annoying the hell out of her, she'd gotten maybe three hours of sleep? She had headache like there was no tomorrow and she felt disgusting. Groaning slightly, Kaytie made her way to the bathroom, intent on a long, hot shower.

When Kaytie finally left the bathroom, the first sight she was greeted with was little Alicia, sitting with her back to the wall and colouring with crayons. She's looked up when the door opened.

"Were you waiting for the bathroom?" Kaytie asked.

Alicia nodded smiling."Yes!" She said enthusiastically. "Daddy said you'd take forever and he was right!"

Kaytie was unsure of whether to feel offended or to just accept it. She went with the latter. And she just couldn't get used to the word 'daddy' in reference to Miguel. The two things jst didn't coincide in her brain. She sighed, suddenly wishing she'd been more present, more there. She felt like she was constantly missing something when she was around her family and it wasn't a good feeling. It's not like she felt bad for Miguel, she mused. But for herself. She didn't feel guilty.

So, she decided, leaving the previous train of thought unexplored, she was going to sit at the kitchen table and wait for her mother. They would have this talk. And they'd damn well have it on Kaytie's terms.

It was over an hour before her mother and father opened the front door and walked in. Her father immediately smiled at her, the softie that he was. "Hey, Dad." She smiled back, doing her best to look innocent.

"Hey sweetie." Her dad smiled at her. She thought he was probably just so happy that she was home. Then she saw her mother shoot him a look and his smile crumple.

Kaytie pursed her lips at this. Why was her mother such a miserable person? That was another question she needed answered. She folded her arm over ger chest. "Hello, Mother." She said coldly.

A smile, fake, spread over Mrs Krimskii's lips. "Hello, darling. Should we continue that little chat we started yesterday?"

"Oh, definitely."

Kaytie watched her father sigh as if giving up and leave the room.

They stared at each other for a moment and there was tension. Forget a knife, Kaytie thought, she might've needed a chainsaw to cut it.

"Go ahead." Kaytie said feircly, reminding herself to keep her temper in check. "Start explaining!"

Mrs Krimskii smiled viciously. "Since when do I have to explain myself to you, oh BioHazardous Alchemist?"

"We're not talking about me." Kaytie said evenly, suddenly struck by the similarities between herself and her mother. It chilled her.

"Oh, yes we are." She said, climbing the short steps into the kitchen. "You've noticed it, haven't you? Our likeness?"

Kaytie didn't respond. It wasn't often she found herself mute, unable to think of an answer, whether sarcastic or genuine. Only her mother could make her feel this way, inferior.

"You listen to me," Mrs Krimskii said, moving forward so that her face was very close to Kaytie's. "You are the one who left this house. You are the one who doesn't give a damn. You are the one who decided to throw your future away. You have no right to come back and demand _any_ information from me. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Kaytie responded finally, her mother's words suddenly inspiring her. "I do understand. I understand that you were the_ worst_ mother and that none of us can stand you. Isn't that why Joey ran away, Mom? Isn't it?"

And she knew that she'd crossed a line.

Her mother's hand shot out and slapped her clean across the face, Kaytie's head whipping to the left. She resisted the urge to reach up and touch it, knowing there'd be a red mark and a bruise.

"You don't know anything, you little bitch." Mrs Krimskii said, deadly calm and glaring.

Kaytie stood her ground, "I know that you were a State Alchemist and that you gave up your license for some undocumented reason just before I was born. And I know that you once went by the name Elizabeth Knox."

Mrs Krimskii lowered her voice to a dangerous tone, "Get out."

"No!" Kaytie exclaimed. "Answer me."

"Get out of my house."

Kaytie screwed her face up and snarled, "Fine." She spat, turning on her heel. She slammed the door so hard behind her that the window panel of glass cracked.

* * *

Now she didn't know where to go. She had frustrated tears in her eyes; why couldn't her mother ever just cooperate with her. Why did Kaytie's life have to be so difficult?

She wandered aimlessly and she found that her feet automatically carried her toward one of her favourite childhood haunts. It was out of the way and sheltered by tall trees. Generally, this is where she came when it concerned alchemy. It was the perfect spot to practice it in secret.

Kaytie lowered herself into the grass and sat facing the small concrete slab that she was once so proud of transmutuing. She used to draw on it with a peice of charcoal and could still see the remnants of a rubbed out transmutation circle.

So, at a loss of what to do for the first time in a very long time, Kaytie proceeded to tear handfuls of grass out of the ground.

"Hello, Kate." Miguel's voice said from behind her. She felt his comforting hand on her shoulder.

"How did you know where to find me?" Kaytie asked wearily, not bothering to turn around.

"Kaytie, you practically spent half your childhood at this hiding spot. You think I never followed you?"

Kaytie shrugged, finding that at this point she was generally apathetic.

Kaytie sighed as she felt Miguel hug her, probably figuring that she needed comfort. But the truth was, she couldn't give a damn if she tried. She only wanted the information. And what surprised her was that she remained unsurprised.

"Kate, you always were a stubborn one." Miguel said.

"Yeah," Kaytie agreed. "I guess so."

* * *

"So where will you go?" Miguel asked a time later after sitting in silence for nearly an hour.

Kaytie shrugged.

"Well, do you know who stopped by this morning when you were alseep?"

Kaytie looked up, her curiosity sparked. Who would she know in Risembool who'd visit her after all this time?

"Morgan's here." Miguel continued and Kaytie's mouth fell open.

"Are you _kidding_ me?" She said violently. Could her life get any worse?

Miguel shook his head. "She's here. I told her that you'd meet up with her later. She's having a family reunion of sorts in her house. You know, the vacant one she used to live in? Yeah."

Kaytie's mouth was dry, like she swallowed cotton. "Okay." She managed to said. "How is she?"

Miguel shrugged. "She's all right, mostly, I think. She seemed a little depressed and her arm was set in a sling for some reason but other than that, she's all right."

"Her _arm_ is in a _sling_?!"

He sighed. "Just go see her. Go to the reunion. She wants to see you. Although you'll never believe the look of surprise on her face when she found out you were home! Originally, she was just coming to visit me!'

Kaytie forced a smile. "Okay." She said again, with new resolve. "I'll go the the stupid reunion then I'm out of here. Say goodbye to Alicia for me? The squirt's actually kinda cute."

Miguel smiled, watching Kaytie pick herself off the ground.

* * *

"Where the hell are they, you stupid bastard?!"

On the other end of the phone, Colonel Roy Mustang sighed. _"I told you, Samantha, they're in Risembool."_

Sam scowled at the phone and without warning, slammed the phone back onto the hook. She felt like she'd been chasing Morgan around for years, but really it had only been a few months. She'd followed them to Eastern, Xenotyme, back to Eastern, then they were supposed to be searching for the former Crystal Alchemist (Sam could only guess why), but the thing was, they weren't there.

Roy said Risembool. Why the hell would they be in Risembool? Unless... Sam paled and started pacing the length of her hotel room. The only reason she could think of that they'd go back there was if one of them was hurt. She ran a tired hand over her face. Well, she thought, I guess I'm headed to Risembool. And this time, I won't miss my train.


	34. Chapter 34

Authors' Notes:

Chibi-chan: Let's do this without preamble this time - I'm ashamed to show my face around here, honestly. Really, I am. This year's been really hard for me, Real Life is a complete bitch right now and you guys have been nothing but supportive. You have no idea how much I owe you (definitely an ending to this story, for one thing). If you hadn't left such encouraging reviews, I prolly wouldn't be updating this at the moment.

Jin's Lady: I've been trying to encourage her - why is it you guys do a much better job?

Chibi-chan: I've always said that this is the story I will finish but recently I've been realizing what a daunting task that really is. I'm not even half through the anime series yet and already we're at 34 chapters. I don't know, guys.

And on another note, my writing style has changed completely in these last months. That was another reason why I was having issues. I've been writing in a different fandom (BBC's Merlin, for anyone curious, on my own account **Writing2Death** so if anyone's interested...) and I've been seriously contemplating leaving this unfinished. But I figured I owed you AT LEAST an explanation and a decision.

This is what I want you guys to do for me and it doesn't really have anything to do with reviewing:

- There is a poll on our profile. Please go take it. Basically, I'm asking you if you'd rather I continue as I have been with this story, even if it might take a while OR if I should start the story over in my spare time and condense it into something manageable. BECAUSE I HAVE PUT TOO MUCH TIME AND EFFORT INTO THIS STORY TO ABANDON IT. AND YOU GUYS DESERVE MORE THAN THAT.

Those are your options. If you choose the first, please know that chapters may continue to have long gaps between them. If you choose the second, please know that I will (hopefully) continue to update this version as I'm editing/rewriting the new version and that the new version will hopefully be at most 50 chapters (whereas this one looks like it's headed toward the 70 mark if I keep going).

That's really all I wanted to say.

And: **thank-you to all who reviewed ever. This story would not be here if you hadn't. THANK-YOU *heart***

Jin's Lady: Please enjoy, read, review, AND GO TAKE THE POLL!

* * *

Chapter 34: Family Affairs

Morgan was anxious. She was nervous and anxious and she had a knot forming in her stomach that made her feel like throwing up. This was not a good day.

* * *

"How do you feel about meeting my grandmother?"

Ed was confused. It must have showed on his face because Morgan went on to explain, "She's decided that Riembool would be a better place to live than out in the middle of nowhere apparently."

"Risembool is the middle of nowhere." Ed corrected.

Morgan raised her eyebrows in a way that said, _well that should be obvious._ "My house, my old house, it's always been vacant. The furniture's still there and everything. Mom wanted a 'fresh start'," She used air quotes for emphasis, "though, really, I think she always planned on coming back here."

Ed watched as she tossed the letter carelessly to the table and rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, I have to make the house presentable, seeing as that's what she's expecting." She continued. "We should still be able to leave on time, if there's no disaster." She was rubbing at her temples, like there was a growing headache present and she ran a hand through her dull hair so that it stuck up on end.

"When's she going to be here?"

"They." Morgan corrected. "Celina, too. My sister."

Ed really didn't know what to say. Before he could even broach the subject, Morgan sighed heavily, threw her hands up dramatically, and left the room. He didn't dare follow her.

Picking up the letter to read it for himself, he made his way into the living room area, muttering something that would sound suspiciously like "Women!"

* * *

It was cold and Morgan wished she brought a jacket. The wind whipped her hair around and she couldn't feel her nose. Huddled into herself, she cut across a field. Last time she made this trip, she was going to Winry's, she reflected. And she'd stood in front of the house with the blue shutters just as she was doing now. She walked up the walkway, the gravel crunching under her boots.

_"Mommy, come look at this!"_

_"What is it, Morgan?"_

_"I'm doing Alchemy! Look!"_

She pulled herself from her thoughts and gripped the banister as she stepped up the front porch steps.

_Ed leaned in and brushed his lips gently against her cheek._

She pinched herself hard and yelped. Glaring at the banister like it was its fault, Morgan stood in front of the front door. It was blue, as well. Probably where she got her obsession with the colour in the first place.

She turned the brass doorknob and felt her stomach plummet when it stuck. The door was locked. Of course the door was locked, no one had been there in only God knew how many years, probably seven or eight.

What was she supposed to do now?

"What," She heard a voice so familiar say from behind her. "Are you not an alchemist?"

Turning around, she was met with the sight of Winry. She smiled slightly as Winry climbed the stairs so that they were level. "You followed me," Morgan stated, pouting.

Winry rolled her eyes, "Thanks, Miss Obvious."

It was Morgan's turn to roll her eyes.

"Well?" Winry said impatiently, gesturing toward the door. "What are you waiting for?"

Morgan dug her gloves out of her pocket and slipped them on, in the absence of chalk. She clapped and pressed them flush against the wood of the door. Like she was quoting something, she muttered, "When you lack a door..." She trailed off.

"Make one?" Winry responded, smiling broadly and finishing Morgan's sentence.

"Exactly,"

The blue light faded and they stepped into the house Morgan hadn't been inside in eight years.

"Wow," Winry said, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

Morgan was wearing a similar expression, "We have a lot of work to do."

* * *

Kaytie did not go back to her house. Well, she did but she didn't stay. Climbing through her window, she collected her stuff, climbed back out, and wasted time in her clearing. Miguel, the loving bastard that he was, offered to come collect her when Morgan wanted them, apparently. Because Morgan was a coward like that.

Kaytie knew from the way Morgan talked about her that she was terrified of her grandmother. She bended completely to her will, which is why Morgan was attempting to fix up a house in a matter of hours that hadn't been approached in eight years. Kaytie would help but... she was a bitch like that.

* * *

They'd gathered reinforcements and moved in. Dressed in dust caps and old clothes, Morgan and Winry had taken charge. "Okay!" Winry said loudly, smiling broadly, "This is what we have to do: clean."

Morgan stared at her for a minute and sighed, looking back at her small circle of friends consisting of Armstrong (who she was really hoping would be a big help), and Ed. Ed was wearing a vaguely unhappy look on his face and Armstrong was lacking his usual pink sparkles.

"I think," Winry went on, "that the kitchen should be the first room to be cleaned. Morgan mentioned wanting to welcome her grandmother and her sister so we'll need use of the kitchen for cooking. The bedrooms should be cleaned and the living room and the bathroom..."

"Can we just say the whole house?" Morgan asked as Winry trailed off, frowning.

"Fine," Winry grumbled. "Morgan and I have got the kitchen, Ed, you're on bathroom duty, and Major Armstrong, can you do the bedrooms and tackle the living room?" Al, who was still shattered, was back at the house. He assured everyone he didn't mind and Morgan kind of believed him. Who wanted to spend the day cleaning?

"Is there anything specific?" Ed asked, looking very unhappy.

"Dust and beat the carpets, clean the windows..." It went on.

* * *

Thoroughly exhausted, Morgan slid down the fridge to a sitting position on the floor. Her feet hurt. Her head hurt. Her hands hurt because of hours upon hours of doing dishes. She wanted sleep and she wanted it now.

"Please," she begged Winry, "Please kill me."

Winry, now pulling off her dust cap and shaking our her long blonde hair, smiled, "Aren't you glad it's done, though?" She asked.

Morgan considered. Well, her friends hated her for putting them through something so torturous, she wanted to die, and she could look forward to getting up at the crack of dawn tomorrow to cook for a woman who would probably turn her nose up at it. "No." she answered honestly.

She didn't sleep well that night, the moon shining through the window keeping her awake. It was really rather annoying, she thought, drawing the blankets over her head as a tent. It successfully blocked out the light but now she could hear herself breathing and it was disturbing. Sighing, she gave up and stared at the ceiling.

* * *

To say that Morgan was tired the next morning was a complete understatement. She had drifted off somewhere between three and four in the morning and gotten up at seven. She wanted to die and kill everyone around her at the same time. Her temper, as a result, was very short.

"Take it easy, Morgan." Ed had said at one point when she was overly critical about how straight the curtains were.

She'd scowled, "Don't tell me to take it easy! It's not easy! It's never easy! Life's hard!" And she'd stormed off, angry and fuming, leaving Ed behind her wondering exactly what had just happened.

She'd driven Winry out of the kitchen as well. Apparently, according to her, she "couldn't work in here because it's stressing me out!" And so Morgan carried on making the food by herself, stomping around the kitchen and slamming cupboard doors. Eventually, she finished the desert, which was cooling in the fridge, and the main course was in the oven, and she was trying to figure out what she should make as a side dish.

"I'm headed out, Morgan." Armstrong said.

Staring hard into the cupboard, recently cleaned and stocked with fresh food, Morgan answered, "All right-y, are Ed and Winry still here?"

"Yes!" Armstrong answered dramatically. "Isn't it AMAZING how the powers of FRIENDSHIP can all bring one TOGETHER?!"

"Um..." Morgan paused, "Yes?"

She'd settled on mashed potatoes, washed her hands, and looked at the clock. Her grandmother would be there soon. The train was scheduled to arrive for seven in the evening and it was now four-thirty. She was starting to get jittery.

"Do you need any help?" Someone asked, making Morgan jump and toss the potato she was holding into the air. It fell the floor with a thud.

"Um, are you okay?" Ed asked as she turned around with a glare and picked it up off the ground.

Then she sighed, tired and frustrated, "Can you peel without cutting your fingers off?" She asked.

He shrugged and picked one up from the metal bowl on the counter. Morgan slid a sharp knife toward him. For a few minutes, they stood in companionable silence, peeling potatoes. Then Morgan's knife slipped and she sliced her finger.

She gasped and pouted, staring at it as blood bloomed from the small cut. "I don't like my life." She said as Ed stared at her and she sucked the cut into her mouth.

"I thought you were worried about _me_ cutting myself?" Ed asked sarcastically. The glare she sent his way told him he should be quiet.

She rummaged around for a band-aid for a minute before giving up and washing her hands. The cut had stopped bleeding anyway.

Ed smiled, "Morgan, you're so clumsy."

"Yeah," She agreed, tiredly, smiling in spite of herself.

An hour later, after peeling (and obtaining numerous cuts on Morgan's part), cutting, boiling, and mashing, they sat in a bowl on the counter. Morgan looked at them, slightly proud of her own work. She grinned, "So, what do you think?"

Ed was frowning, "It looks really boring."

This hurt more than it should have, Morgan reflected later, seeing as they were talking about potatoes. "You don't like it?"

Ed looked at her carefully, maybe realizing his mistake. "No! It's not that; it probably tastes really good. It just needs different presentation."

He wasn't prepared for the flash of anger in Morgan's eyes, "I'll show you different presentation!" And then she dumped the bowl of mashed potatoes over his head.

There was a pause in which he could only hear Morgan's hysterical laughter and the _splat splat_ of mashed potatoes hitting the linoleum.

"Um..." They turned to see Winry in the doorway, "Do I want to know?"

* * *

Morgan, by herself, was reading in the living room of the now clean house when there were three sharp knocks on the door. Ed and Winry had gone home, promising to come back later. Morgan, being the self-described coward that she was, hadn't wanted to spend the night with her grandmother alone. So they'd organized a small get together.

She steeled herself before pulling the door open. The sight of a tall, proud, old woman greeted her. Her skin clung to her face gently and she pursed her lips, seemingly in a permanent frown. At her side a small blonde haired girl with blue eyes looked up at Morgan; they had the same nose.

Then she launched herself at her sister. "Woah, Celina." Morgan laughed, hugging back. "You've grown! You'll be taller than me soon!"

"You're not hard to beat." The sharp voice made Morgan stand a little straighter.

She swallowed thickly, "Grandmother." And she forced a small smile.

"Morgan," The woman said, a little gentler this time.

They embraced awkwardly and Morgan looked down at Celina, smiling.

"Um, so the house is clean. And I've made dinner. I thought since you've been stuck on a train all day that you'd be hungry so... Yeah. I've invited people over to, you know, welcome you... They should be here soon." She cleared her throat.

"You know who else is coming?" Her grandmother asked. "That nice Samantha Patil. We've been exchanging letters recently about you and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for you two to reconnect."

Morgan felt herself blanche; _Sam was coming?!_ "Um, Grandma, you are aware that I spent six months with her last year, right?"

"Yes, and she's told me that you haven't spoken to her since."

That was true and Morgan couldn't deny it. But, Sam was notorious for being late. She could only hope -

The sound of the doorbell cut off her thoughts. "Um, excuse me," She said as her sister proceeded to start jumping on the couch and her grandmother made herself comfortable in the chair.

Morgan threw the door open and she let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding when she was greeted with the sight of Miguel and Kaytie. "Oh, thank God. Come in."

She and Kaytie hugged and Miguel smiled at her. "Please save me." she whispered.

"Wanna switch?" Kaytie asked, looking sulky, "My mother just kicked me out and I don't even live there!"

Morgan tried to have sympathy but when she had 'The Dragon', as her mother used to call her, sitting in the living room it was hard. "It's through there to the living room," Morgan explained, ignoring Kaytie's comment completely.

A few minutes later there was another knock on the door. Morgan, playing the hostess, answered it. She found an unexpected but familiar face on the other side.

"Yo," was their answer, "Kaytie's here right?"

Feeling the disbelieving look on her own face, Morgan called, "KAYTIE! Sano's here, for some unknown reason..."

Kaytie appeared in the doorway and the look on her face was clear deadpan, "You're kidding, right?"

Sano smirked and Morgan hated it. "Nope. Your mom let me know where you were."

Kaytie scowled.

"Have room for one more at this little party?"

Morgan couldn't even be bothered anymore, "Sure, why not? It'll all go to hell anyway." And, apathetically, she wandered away back into the living room.

Kaytie stared after then she proceeded to glare at Sano, "Do you exist to make my life miserable?"

He smirked but it was his Sano-smirk. "Pretty much. You get too talkative around your friend. Can't have that, can we?"

"Obviously not," Kaytie agreed, pursing her lips in extreme annoyance.

There was one more knock on the door. "Could you get that, Kaytie?" Morgan yelled out from where she was setting the table in the dining room. But before she could even say "sure," there was a sharp voice.

"Morgan Marie Shaw, what kind of hostess are you?"

Grumbling and looking harassed, Morgan appeared in the kitchen, mouthing obscenities at her grandmother's back. She yanked the door open, "Get in," She said, still deadpan, to Ed and Winry.

"I see your mood's improved." Ed said sarcastically.

"Oh yeah," Morgan responded, all but slamming the door shut. "It's shot right up."

"Moooorrgan! _Morgan!_"A high-pitched voice greeted. It belonged to a small blonde girl with bright blue eyes. She had a round face and the only resemblance she and Morgan shared was the shape of their noses. "Will you introduce me? Please?" She clung to the blue sleeve of Morgan's shirt.

Morgan's expression softened, "Of course. Everyone, this is Celina, my sister. Celina, this is Kaytie and Sano, and Winry and Edward."

"Ohhh," Celina said, peering at Ed, who leaned back just a little. "Sam says that you love him."

There was a pregnant pause. Then Morgan let out a hysterical giggle. "He's one of my best friends," she answered awkwardly. "I love Winry too and – and Kaytie. And I love you!" She proceeded to tickle her and Celina let out a shrill laugh.

"_What_ is going on in here?" A woman, sharp and old, entered the kitchen, glaring with beady eyes. "I will not tolerate such behaviour. It's completely inappropriate. Morgan, I'm disappointed; you should know better."

Morgan and Celina quieted instantly, stood straighter. "Grandma, I'd like you to meet my friends," and she introduced them all over again. If Sam had mentioned anything about Ed to her, she made no comment on it but she did give Kaytie a long glance that made her feel slightly uncomfortable.

To dispel the awkwardness, Morgan said, "Shall we eat?"

* * *

There was chatter at the table, which was a relief for Morgan, because she could feel her grandmother's eyes on her, watching her. Sam had yet to show, which was another relief. All she had to do was make it to tomorrow...

Luck, though, had never really been on Morgan's side. She really hated her life. It wasn't fair, she thought later, that everything was always so messed up.

"So," her grandmother said and there was a relative hush, " I hear that you've become a dog of the military."

Morgan pressed her lips tightly together, "I am a State Alchemist," she said, clearing her throat.

Through beady eyes, her grandmother peered at her, "Mind you don't go the same way as your parents," she said stiffly.

Morgan didn't respond, stabbing her food harshly. Celina kicked her under the table. She hated family affairs.

Through the dessert, which Morgan had the foresight to make, there were a couple different dynamics at the table. Firstly, her grandmother was breathing down her throat. Secondly, she could feel the heat from the glare that Miguel was inflicting on Sano. Also, she could almost see the waves of displeasure rolling off Kaytie as she plucked Sano's arm from her shoulders for a fifth time. Lastly, Winry kept looking at her, which caused Ed to look at her and then Morgan would look at Winry. It was getting out of hand and there were just too many distractions. There was also, somewhere in the background, the annoying course of "Morgan! Morgan! Morgan!" from Celina when she wanted something.

As she stared down at the fork in her hand, she seriously contemplated sticking it into her eye. Because, really, it couldn't be any more painful than what she was going through right now.

* * *

There were only so many rooms in the house. While Morgan's family had been well off, having the money from the State because of what they did, it was still a rural community and they didn't flaunt it.

Ms. Agatha Marleau, Morgan's mother's mother, had the master bedroom. Morgan had actively avoided that room when they'd waged the cleaning war on the house because it had once belonged to her parents. Celina had been given Morgan's old room to herself. She was asleep early, being only seven.

Kaytie and Sano needed somewhere to stay because they could hardly go back to Mrs. Krimskii's and so she'd told them that they could suck it up and sleep in the same room and stuck them in the guest room. Miguel had gone home to care for Alicia, giving Morgan a hug at the door. "I'll be over tomorrow, all right?" were his parting words.

Winry and Ed were supposed to be going home. Supposed to being the key words in that sentence. Luck wasn't on Morgan's side and she wondered if it would ever be on her side. The weather that day hadn't been great to begin with. It was drizzling on and off every few hours. But it had steadily declined in the last few. Morgan winced, pulling spare blankets out of the linen closet, as she heard a clap of thunder.

"So I guess you're staying, then," she said to Winry and Ed with a sigh.

"Looks that way," Winry said, glancing out the window.

Morgan bit her lip. There were two couches in the living room that she'd give to Winry and Ed. And she supposed she could sleep in Celina's new bedroom on the floor but she wasn't sure if she could even fall asleep in her old bedroom. She decided to sleep on the floor in the living room instead.

"Okay," Morgan said, rubbing at her eyes as she carelessly threw down the spare pillows and blankets, privately thanking Armstrong for having the foresight to wash them. "we're in here, then, seeing as there are no more rooms."

Winry nodded, stretching. "I'd ask you for a spare pair of pyjamas but you're too short," she joked.

Morgan could only find the inspiration to roll her eyes. "I'll take the floor," she said.

Ed grinned, "Good because I wasn't going to offer."

Morgan smiled a little, scoffing.

And then it was silent, the lights doused. Moonlight shone through the window above the couch Ed was sleeping on. She could hear Winry's soft breathing behind her – she was already asleep and Morgan didn't blame her. They'd all had a pretty trying day.

Suddenly, rolling onto her back, she felt all choked up with emotion. She had some really good friends, she decided, frowning. She hoped that she was a good friend back but she couldn't really be sure. It was especially hard to be unbiased about oneself.

Why couldn't she sleep?

"You awake?" she heard Ed whisper from her left and she rolled over to face him.

"How did you know?" she asked back.

He shrugged, "You never move around when you're sleeping. And you usually fall asleep right away."

Morgan blushed, surprised that he'd noticed her sleeping habits. "I don't know why," she said, "I got about three hours and change last night and today was like death and I'm really, really tired but it's like my mind won't shut off."

Ed three the blanket he was using off him and sat up, pulling his black jacket back on. She caught a glance at his prosthetic arm, unused to it after the polished look automail had. "Come on," he said, "it's not good to just lie there if you can't sleep. You should be doing something."

"Okay," Morgan answered, sitting up and pushing herself to her feet. "What should we do then?"

Ed shrugged, "Walk?"

"Sure," Morgan answered, grabbing the sweater she brought over that morning. She was glad because when she opened the door to the front porch, she realized that it was pretty cold out. The rain, thankfully, had decided to die down to a momentary drizzle. "Hey, is Winry still going to be able to have your arm done for tomorrow if she's here?"

Ed grimaced, "She might," he answered. "I think she has the majority of it already done but we can't be sure. Could be looking at another day here."

Morgan sighed, "Great," she said sarcastically.

They were making their way through Morgan's backyard – well, she supposed it was her grandmother's backyard now. She pulled the sleeves of her sweater over her hands. "You don't have to walk with me, you know." She said, feeling awkward.

Ed smiled at her and she felt her cheeks burn, her breath catching in her throat. She forced herself to look away. "I know," he answered. "But what are friends for?"

Friends. There was that word again.

"I feel bad for Al." she said suddenly as they were making their way back toward the front porch. "He's stuck in a box with no one but Armstrong for company."

Ed grimaced and when he answered his voice was bitter, "Yeah."

Morgan frowned, "Sorry, I didn't mean—"

"Forget it," Ed said.

"But –"

"I said forget it!"

Morgan pressed her lips into a line, silent, "Sorry," she said, sitting herself down on one of the porch steps.

"Just –" Ed began, taking a seat beside her, "it doesn't matter. Don't wanna think about it."

"Okay."

There was silence and Morgan lowered herself to her back, staring at the roof of the porch. It was dark but she thought she could make out the outline of a spider's web. "Do you want me to stay here?" she asked suddenly.

Ed stared at her, "Why?" he demanded.

She shrugged, "Dunno. I feel like I make things harder for you and Al."

"You do, a little," Ed admitted, not one to lie.

Morgan frowned again unhappily. "I should just stay here," she said with an angry note to her voice, "I'm not any good anyway – it's just – "

"We've had this argument before, I think," Ed responded and Morgan turned her head to look at him. "Fine, whatever. No one cares if you stay here or come. Whatever you want."

Tears were pricking at the backs of her eyes. Hurt, she could only think of hurtful things to say back. So she turned her head away, letting her gaze fall uselessly on the rail of the steps. "You wouldn't care," she said apathetically, "you don't seem to care about anyone anyway."

That was untrue. So, so untrue.

Ed pushed himself to his feet and gave Morgan a look of disgust, "Are you sure that's not you?"

Morgan's mouth opened slightly but she shut it again, looking anywhere but at Ed's face. "Probably."

Ed was still angry, Morgan could feel it roll off him in waves. He stayed standing, one hand on the knob of the front door. "Give me one good reason why I should even bother?" he asked bitterly. "Since I don't care anyway. Why should I?"

It was out of her mouth before she could even think about what she was saying.

"Because I'm in love with you."


	35. Chapter 35

Authors' Note:

Chibi-chan: Okay, so this isn't really chapter 35. But, I realised that you guys were left on a completely awful cliffhanger and while the actual update will prolly take a bit longer, i just wanted you to be able to see the resolution of that scene (since some of you were quite... angry with me about it :P) So here it is. Also: please excuse the lateness while I get my act together.

Jin's Lady: What she said.

Disclaimer: We don't own anything.

* * *

**Chapter 35**

Morgan blamed the lack of sleep. Or the intensity of the conversation. Or… the weather. Really. Honestly. Oh my God, she could kill herself.

"Because I'm in love with you."

Her eyes widened instantly and then she squeezed them shut again, her hands balling up into fists. _God, what was wrong with her? _She sat up quickly, very, very aware that Ed hadn't said anything and pushed herself to her feet. Ed was looking at her like she was insane and she didn't blame him.

"Haha," he said uncertainly, his palm still resting on the doorknob. "Very funny, Morgan. I'm sure."

Angry, frustrated tears brimmed her eyes and she glared at him, "Yes," she said, "my feelings must be hilarious." She made to push past him but he grabbed her wrist. She averted her eyes instantly, not being able to take the _I thought we were just friends_ look.

"Just let me go," Morgan said, pursing her lips. "Please."

"No," Ed responded suddenly, "We clearly have something to talk about."

Morgan shook her head, staring at the ceiling. The spider's web she found earlier was very interesting. "Look," she said, "I already know, all right? It doesn't even matter. We're friends, nothing more. And it's not as if you have time for anything, even if –" she broke off stupidly, "All right, I'm in love with you, you don't love me, I'll stay here because I've just ruined our friendship, and we can all move on with our lives."

And she yanked her arm out of his grasp and slammed the door behind her.

This, Ed reflected, was uncharted territory. Beware. Ahead, there be monsters. Well, he knew a thing or two about monsters and he thought that dealing with girls might just be worse. Did he have to spell _everything_ out?

He followed her inside quietly. She was hiding under her blanket on the floor and he could still hear her breathing; she was awake. Kneeling, he peeled the blanket away from her face and she turned it into the pillow, wet with tears. Sighing, embarrassed to an insane degree, and a little bit lightheaded with disbelief (she loved him _back_?), he pulled his pillow and blanket off the couch, and lowered himself to the ground beside her. She was stiff and refused to face him.

Tentatively, he touched her side and pulled her closer. "I don't need your pity." She hissed but there wasn't any heat to it.

"Who says it's pity?" Ed responded saucily. But he knew he was blushing.

She was stiff in his arms and it was strange but she relaxed after a few minutes. "Maybe," he said, "If – when – if it's all finished. When – when it's finished."

Morgan nodded and rolled over a little, staring at him, "Do you mean it?" she asked after a minute.

Ed didn't answer because he really couldn't. He did mean it – so very much so – but a relationship beyond friendship was not something he could hope to maintain now or anytime soon. It wouldn't be fair and it might put Morgan at risk. So he just exhaled shakily and buried his face in her neck. She shivered.

"_I_ mean it, you know." Morgan said.

Ed looked at her, "Why?" And wasn't that just the stupidest response ever?

Against all odds, Morgan started laughing, her slight frame shaking with giggles. "Because you're you." And then she smiled.

And everything was okay again.


	36. Chapter 36 and Author's Note

Authors' Note:

Hello, all, remember us? I know some of you do, because we've gotten some seriously frightening reviews about our disappearance. You have to understand that we have lives as well, and sometimes Real Life take precedence. My (Chibi-chan here) life has sucked. Seriously, like badly, sucked for the last year or so. Which is why we haven't been around in what seems like forever. It feels like forever too, trust us.

This isn't a real chapter, I'd like to say that. It's the scene that would have followed the Morgan scene in chapter 35. I've had it written for months now but I don't have anything past this which is why there hasn't been an update.

**Life Love Lost is being rewritten. **I can't continue on with how it is. I can't do it. Continuing it right now is like pulling teeth. The beginning writing is terrible because I started this story when I was fourteen and while all fourteen year olds think all they need is a pen and paper to write, I know that's not true now. Experience and practice have to come into the equation somewhere as well.

I don't know if we have any followers left, but if we do, I promise that this will be done. It might be a while coming but there will be regular updates on our profile, if you want to check those out.

To everyone who's ever read LLL, I love you.

* * *

**Chapter 36:**

The sun was shining brightly the next morning when Kaytie awoke. Oh God, her head hurt. She'd never been drunk and therefore had no idea what a hangover would feel like but she thought if it was anything like this, she was never drinking alcohol. Ever.

The first thing she did when she woke up was roll over and attempt to shield her eyes from the incoming sunlight that seemed determined to blind her. "Ow," she murmured.

"Wakey-wakey, Princess." That was Envy's voice, she knew. And then she promptly scolded herself for knowing. And that was how Kaytie's mood went from bad to worse.

"You are insufferable," is what she chose to say, having several more insults running through her mind.

"Yes," he said, thoroughly unconcerned, "you tell me that everyday, hun. I'm used to it, by now."

Kaytie dragged herself out of the bed, cast a baleful look at Envy (who looked like himself again and, damnit all, Kaytie shouldn't find it comforting). "Where are we anyway?"

"Your mousey friend's house," Envy said, still looking bored and examining his nails. Kaytie didn't know why, because it's not like he just couldn't change them if he wanted to.

Right, she thought. Morgan had that thing last night, and they'd stayed in the guest bedroom. It was slowly coming back. It was like trying to squash puzzle pieces into slots where they didn't belong.

They'd gone upstairs, with Envy getting on her very last nerve like usual. They'd gotten into an argument, but Kaytie couldn't even remember what it was about, which was stupid. The argument was probably just as stupid. Their personalities clashed – they shoudn't be left alone together, really. They were likely to kill each other one day.

But, of course, if Kaytie was given that option, her answer would have to be a resounding no. That thought made her cheeks heat all over again, and she closed her eyes, breathed out to calm herself.

Which, in retrospect, was a bad idea. Because then it really did come back.

She bolted upright and her eyes flew open. "Did they spike the Goddamn punch or something?" she demanded loudly. "Because, are you actually serious? Really?"

Envy looked at her liked she'd grown an extra head in the last ten minutes.

"You let me kiss you!" she screamed, scrambling out of bed like a mad woman. "You fucking prick!" Kaytie grabbed the nearest pillow off the bed and swinging it like an axe. She wished it was an axe! "I'm going to _kill_ you!"

Envy quickly grabbed the other end of the pillow and yanked it out of Kaytie's hands. There was a horrible ripping sounds and feathers flew everywhere as the pillow split in half.

The half-a-pillow slipped from Kaytie's slack grip and Envy threw his half at her. It smacked her in the face and fell to the floor. "You're an idiot," he said flatly. "Get out of my face."

Kaytie pursed her lips, balled up her fists, and attempted to tuck her anger away somewhere in a box at the back of her mind. At this point, she was angry about so many things all the time that she was sure the edges of the box would crack eventually. Maybe it'd just burst entirely.

She took a deep breath and stepped back. Envy was watching her half like he was wary of her and half like he wanted to kill her. She didn't even know if she blamed him.

God, she could kill herself right now.

Kaytie gave up, stalked to the bathroom, and slammed the door hard enough to make the frame shake.

* * *

**A/N: **... and that's all I have. I know - I wrote until the worst part to leave it at, and then left it at it.

But! LLL is for sure going to be rewritten. If there's still anyone here, or if you're brand new and just saw this today and like it, and you're interested in being my cheerleader for this (this way I at least have some motivation to write it, if someone else is seeing it), let me know through either PMing us or leaving a review. Love you all - Chibi-chan

(I'm doing my very best to ignore that the author's note is possibly longer than the scene...)


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